Relocation
by Gorms
Summary: When the Harmonium starts playing silly buggers, it's up to the Columns of Garderobe and their allies to sort things out. A ShizNat story with plenty of other pairings and general Otome madness to keep you busy...
1. Kuga comes to visit

Disclaimer: Mai HiME and Mai Otome are property of Sunrise Entertainment and I make no claim to them. I'm simply borrowing these characters to tell silly tales.

Just to let you know, this story contains adult women in adult relationships so be warned. These people also swear and do all sorts of things that proper young people shouldn't. Don't follow their example.

Contains multiple pairings at various stages of relationships, and perhaps a story somewhere, too.

Please enjoy and drop me a line if you do.

Gorms

* * *

_WBC Daily News_

_"And now our political correspondent, Francis Marcus, reports live on the developments that have taken place on day three of this historic summit."_

_"Thank you, Nanako. Day three of the Third Parliamentary Reorganisation Summit has seen some steady developments. We're unlikely to see the fireworks of the First Summit with the cool, level-headed assistance of President Chrysant. Her guidance is proving a great asset during this highly technical phase of negotiations. Her Royal Majesty Mashiro has predicted that the final decision about the division of constituencies will come about in the next few days."_

_"Francis, we've heard reports that it has been decided that a system of proportional representation will be implemented. Can you confirm these?"_

_"It seems likely that this will be the electoral system chosen, but no formal statement has been issued. It has, however, been confirmed that despite public preference, there will be no change in the Special Status afforded Garderobe. This is partly due to the upcoming Technological Dissemination Project in which the academy and Wind City University will play joint hosts to an international panel of experts and scientists."_

_"Thank you, Francis."_

_"Thank you and good evening."_

_The attractive anchor woman shuffled the papers in her hands gracefully and looked back to the central camera._

_"Our report there from Francis Marcus, reporting live from outside the Third Parliamentary Reorganisation Summit. More on that tonight during Questions and Answers, with Minami Kuriba. In other news..."_

* * *

Her Royal Majesty Mashiro Blan De Windbloom, monarch of Windbloom and all dependent territories, stood in an enormous cavern beneath her palace with her hands on her hips, looking at a pile of rubble once called the Harmonium; an ancient device that had come quite close to leveling the planet two years previous. Her faithful Otome Yumemiya Arika beside her and a few attentive senior court officials behind her all watched as Mashiro turned to the small group of visiting dignitaries.

"The surveying of the old palace is progressing slowly, but within schedule," she declared, quoting her senior engineer. "We hope to have a preliminary appraisal completed within three weeks, in plenty of time for the start of the Technological Dissemination Project."

Here, she paused and frowned. "Except they're running into trouble around the damn Harmonium. The workers are having nightmares and stress-related illnesses are rampant."

"We obviously didn't blow the damn thing up enough," Haruka Armitage insisted, glaring at the heap of rubble. Yukino Chrysant adjusted her spectacles on the bridge of her nose and blinked at the ruin. The President of Aries and her Otome enjoyed a close relationship with Mashiro and Windbloom both as the leading representatives of a friendly nation and as friends on a more personal level.

"If we'd blown the thing up any more, there'd be a crater the size of the Moon in the palace," Natsuki Kruger muttered, Garderobe's Gakuenchou not appearing best pleased. "Are these occurrences the residual effects of its powers, or are the workers just agitating themselves because they're working underground?" she asked, turning to Youko Helene, Garderobe's scientific director and school physician.

"Damned if I know," the graceful scientist muttered, "there's nothing unusual down here apart from the mega-abundance of several algae species that might be considered rare in other parts of Windbloom."

"That's it?" Mashiro demanded. Older, and doing her damnedest to appear wiser, she had unfortunately retained the ability to be absolutely unimpressed by her subordinates the majority of the time. "Are they some sort of hallucinogenic, magic algae?"

"Um, no," Youko confirmed, glancing around at the others present. Her assistant Irina Woods had the good grace to blush slightly. Yukino stifled the urge to roll her eyes.

"Shall we continue with the tour then, everyone?" Shizuru Viola suggested, attempting to get the little group on the move again. There was still a great deal of ground to cover and it had been a long, tiring day. She thanked whatever powers available that the Columns had only been asked to attend a single day of the Summit. Nao Zhang, Maya Blythe and Sarah Gallagher all looked as if they shared the sentiment.

Natsuki nodded in approval, still regarding the massive pile of rubbish with distrust. She shook her head as the others moved on to more promising parts of the Subterranean Reclamation Project and was possessed with an urge to spit on the remains. Haruka, feeling much the same herself, walked over to her kouhai and gripped her shoulder.

"Come on, Kruger, let's pray they seal this whole place with concede."

Natsuki smiled and snorted. "Concrete, you mean," she muttered, reaching for a lump of rubble.

In a blinding, scorching flash of white light, the pair vanished.

* * *

_"I had a moment a few days ago, when you were away with the Corals. I realised that I'm the same age my mother was when she gave birth to me. It made me feel old and young at the same time, suspended in time._

_"I'd love to be young again, to do it all again but do it right. Fix the things I regret, you know?"_

* * *

Kuga Natsuki frowned and opened her eyes with great difficulty. They'd definitely not been glued shut before bed, had they? A plain white ceiling swam into view and she blinked. The last thing she'd remembered, she'd been lounging on a picnic blanket with a dozen other teenagers enjoying a sunny afternoon and relaxing in the sun.

She sat up and gripped the sheets in tightly balled hands as waves of dizziness rolled through her. She tried to remember what she'd eaten for breakfast and failed. Coffee, possibly. She wondered if she'd fainted and found her stomach clenching with irritation. If that had actually happened, she'd never hear the end of it. Knowing Harada, some photographic evidence was probably flitting around, too.

She frowned at the i.v. drip nestled in the crook of her left elbow and was considering pulling it out when quick footsteps sounded nearby. The curtain beside her bed swished open to reveal a concerned looking Shizuru and a baffled Youko. The three stared at each other for several moments before Youko and Shizuru turned to each other.

"She's not Natsuki," they said in unison.

Natsuki's eyes narrowed and she sat up more fully in bed, clutching the bed sheet to her chest.

"I am Natsuki! What the hell is wrong with you guys?" she paused for a moment to glower at Shizuru, intending to move her glare to Youko, but was unable to tear her eyes away.

"Shizuru, damn it, what's wrong? You look ten years older than this morning!"

Shizuru sighed and tilted her head to one side. "And you look about ten years younger than you did at breakfast, Natsuki."

Youko stepped up and wrapped a cuff to her upper arm, pumping it up. "Who exactly are you anyway?"

"You know who I am; Kuga Natsuki."

Shizuru frowned, still keeping her distance. Somehow, this unnerved Natsuki. She'd spent hours praying for her own personal space to be respected by Shizuru but had never imagined that the other woman would intentionally keep so far away.

"Kruger?"

"Kuga," Natsuki repeated, enunciating more clearly. "Shizuru, you know that." Her voice was hoarse from the brief period of disuse and she was desperately thirsty. "Shizuru, what's going on? What's happened?"

"You've been affected by a machine called a Harmonium," Youko began, noting Shizuru's apparent distress. "It has the power to directly effect matter in space and time. This morning, our good friend Natsuki Kruger, who looks pretty similar to you, and Haruka Armitage vanished only to be replaced by you and another young lady, who is still unconscious. My name is Youko Helene and you already seem to know Shizuru."

"Pleased to meet you, Kuga Natsuki," Shizuru said as politely as she could. "Welcome to Windbloom."

"Where?"

Youko rolled her eyes and launched into an explanation of where exactly they all were. She soon abandoned her course of action when too many questions and not enough answers made her patient quite impatient. She surreptitiously twisted the valve on a small glass vial hanging discretely beside the i.v. drip chamber and watched in satisfaction as Natsuki drifted off to sleep after a few moments.

Shizuru frowned in disapproval and adjusted Kuga's blankets without a word.

* * *

"Is it brain damage?" Mashiro asked, clearly baffled at the idea that Natsuki had forgotten what Windbloom was. She was taking it as a personal affront and had crossed her arms huffily. They were gathered in the Royal Physician's office, gazing at a wall filled with X-Ray plates. Youko shrugged.

"She isn't the same Natsuki Kruger we had coffee with this morning, and neither is that girl who looks like Haruka. Both of them display retention of the growth plate at the medial end of both clavicles and a range of other small osteological blips. They're younger than they were three hours ago, perhaps between sixteen and nineteen years of age." Youko sighed and slid into her chair.

Irina shrugged and sat herself down on a high stool. "They also _look_ younger than they were, and neither show any evidence for the nanomachines or their decay products."

Arika frowned and gave her queen an inquisitive glance before turning to her old classmate. "So the Harmonium is a fountain of youth now, then?"

"No, Arika-chan, I'm afraid not. From this X-Ray, taken three weeks ago after an incident with a loose paving slab, we can see that the Haruka who escorted President Chrysant down here has a well-healed fracture to the left fibula, as we can see here," she said, slapping a cane onto an X-Ray plate in blatant disregard of best practice. "The Haruka that appeared this morning had a perfectly healthy lower leg, with no fractures anywhere. There's no way that a fracture like that could have healed so completely that it wouldn't leave a scar in the bone without help from nanomachines."

Youko nodded proudly at her protégée before turning her attention back to the rest of the group. "We also noticed this on Kuga-san's lower back," she asked, showing a rough sketch of a hook-like mark. "It's pretty badly faded, but it reminds me of a burn scar." She slid her eyes to Shizuru and raised an eyebrow. Maya and Mashiro had the good grace to blush as Shizuru shook her head, but Arika gawked at the page.

"That's just like the one that the Mikoto-chan has! Except hers is on her shoulder." She turned to Nao for confirmation and she agreed.

"It's much clearer on Mikoto, though. It looks more like a birth mark than a scar."

Youko frowned and turned to Arika. "That natural Materialiser?" Arika nodded vigourously. "Maybe we should ask her to come visit for a while."

Shizuru took a moment to consider logistics. "Sarah-san, would you mind delivering the message? You mentioned that you wanted to see the Nekogami Mountain. Perhaps you could hold down the fort there for a while."

"No problem. I'll head there in the morning."

There was a moment of silence and Yukino took advantage of it. "Has Haruka-chan regained consciousness yet?"

Irina looked vaguely embarrassed. "Well, she did, but we had to sedate her. She's pretty strong and was as angry as anything."

Youko nodded. "I don't want you near her before we can establish if she's a danger or not yet, Madame President."

Yukino smiled in understanding and took her glasses off to polish them. "Haruka-chan's only ever been a danger to herself, no matter where she goes."

* * *

"I'll wipe that smile off your face, you damn smug bubuzuke woman!" Haruka yelled, practically gnawing at the straps restraining her to the bed.

"Just what right to you have to tie me up here anyway? You're probably going to do something perverted, aren't you? Well, you can try and weaken my moral roughage but you'll never succeed!"

"Moral fibre, I think," Shizuru smiled, "it's good to know you're feeling better, Armitage-san."

"Armitage?" Haruka paused for a moment, frowning at Shizuru. "Stop trying to throw me off-balance! I've never been involved in the porcelain industry!"

Shizuru continued to sit sipping tea and wondering what to do with their guest. She wondered if this Haruka knew Kuga Natsuki at all and enquired in a cheerful voice. The change that came over Haruka was sudden. She stopped struggling and fixed Shizuru with a wary stare.

"Look, I don't want to be involved in anything between you two, you hear? Whatever you two do in the privacy of someone else's house is between yourselves and the hired help." She fell silent for a moment and considered her situation, strapped to a bed and dressed in a flimsy gown. She tried to keep the panic out of her eyes, but Viola did not miss it. Silence fell in the little room, broken only by the tick of a bed side alarm clock. Shizuru waited expectantly and watched her charge. Haruka turned her head away.

"She's a fool, you know. To ever let you near her again. All those other idiots pretend they've forgotten but I'll not. I'll never forgive you for what you did to Yukino, either." This was delivered with quiet venom and desperate defiance and Shizuru realised that Haruka was afraid of her. She stood and moved towards the door, perturbed.

"I can fetch Yukino-san, if you'd prefer," she offered mildly and once again a sudden change gripped Haruka.

"Yukino's here? Get her in here right now! I swear she needs to be more assertive-"

Shizuru closed the door behind her and nodded to Yukino. The president had been waiting anxiously for a prognosis in the corridor with Youko and both stood up.

"She's confused, and quite hostile, but she mentioned Madame President by name, and I don't believe she's a threat," she said, smiling at the relief that flooded Yukino's expression. She rushed into the room without a further thought and Youko rolled her eyes, earning a smile from Shizuru.

"You'd better bring some valium, sensei, she's even worse than usual."

* * *

"Do those clothes fit, Kuga-san?" Arika called through the bathroom door. She stepped back as it swung open and grinned at Natsuki. The dark haired teenager nodded and smoothed down the front of her shirt.

"It's fine, thank you."

"No problem," Arika chirped, "your other clothes were filthy, so Youko-sensei sent them off to be washed."

Natsuki nodded and pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She moved to the window and gazed out over the spires and rooftops of Windbloom. She noted the empty, barren desert stretching as far as she could see beyond the busy city and frowned. She briefly wondered if she was trapped in one of Sister Yukariko's illusions and shuddered. She tried to will her elements into her hands but failed.

"Are you the same as Mikoto-chan?" Arika asked, and Natsuki realised she hadn't been quite as discrete as she'd hoped. She glared at the girl and Arika laughed nervously. "Wow, that's the same look you used to give me in Garderobe! Scary."

Natsuki was about to demand more answers when there was a light tapping at the door. Shizuru entered, greeted them both politely and informed Arika that Mashiro was asking for her. She closed the door after the long tails of the younger woman's skirts and watched Natsuki glare out of the window.

"Haruka-san is feeling much better, I'm pleased to say. Are you well?"

Natsuki fiddled with the cuff of her shirt and frowned. "I don't understand it at all. That I'm not meant to be here; that I'm not the real Natsuki."

"You're the real Natsuki somewhere, though. And I wonder if my Natsuki hasn't gone there, too."

Her shoulders tensed under the clean linen at that sentiment. Although the Shizuru beside her shared little similarity with the dead-eyed berserker she'd fought, the possessive phrase made her uneasy. She shrugged and crossed her arms. "Am I a prisoner here?"

"Of course not. Although I would advise you stay close to us until we can establish exactly what the situation is. Arika-chan and Mashiro-sama will of course remain here in the palace, as will Madame President and Haruka. Myself and Youko-san are returning to Garderobe and you're welcome to come with us," she said, lifting a long brown coat.

"You've been released from medical care, though, so you're free to come and go as you please."

Natsuki shrugged and pulled on the coat that Shizuru offered. "I don't think I want to spend more time than necessary around Suzushiro when she's so excited. What's this Garderobe place like?"

* * *

Natsuki looked around the massive quarters in awe. The view, and the sheer grandeur of the space, left her stunned. She found it quite hard to believe that she, in any incarnation, occupied a high enough station in life to be allowed within fifty yards of such a place.

Shizuru called to her from the far end of the room and she hurried along. She was shown to a large walk-in wardrobe and guided towards one side. She started when she realised that some of the items of clothing on the opposite side looked very much like things that Shizuru might wear.

"It's a pity Natsuki vanished with her blue coat, she looks so handsome in it," Shizuru commented. She began lifting items of clothing off the shelves and passing them to Natsuki, who seemed struck dumb. She stared at the clothes in her arms. It seemed that Kruger shared her hobby, however, and she felt slightly better.

"Some of these might be a little big on you, you're quite skinny and a bit shorter than my Natsuki, but they'll be better than what you have on right now. The palace will be sending your other clothes over in the morning when they've been laundered."

"Thank you," Natsuki muttered. At least she'd found herself transported to a hospitable alternative reality. She wondered if her counterpart was faring as well and decided that there was little chance of her own Shizuru or Mai letting her go hungry and naked.

Well, there was a slight chance that Shizuru would let her go naked, to be fair.

Arms loaded, she was led out of the main room and into a small en suite guest room. Twilight necessitated the use of soft upturned lights on the wall and Shizuru busied herself with closing the curtains.

"I'm going to cook some dinner in about an hour, if you'd like to join me," she offered calmly, "you look like you could do with a decent feed."

Natsuki rolled her eyes. "You're worse than Mai; you're both such mother hens."

Shizuru paused at the door, genuinely surprised. She laughed into her hand and shook her head.

"Ara, that's one thing my Natsuki has never called me."

* * *

Natsuki smoothed the blue blouse she was wearing and made her way towards the kitchen, following the enticing smell. A quick bath had worked wonders and she was feeling quite hungry. She made her way to the kitchen door and knocked, letting herself in.

"Ah, there you are. Are you feeling better?" Shizuru asked cheerfully, stirring a large pot of something fragrant. "Are the clothes a good fit?"

"They're a bit big, but I don't think anyone would notice," she said a touch wryly. It appeared as well as being about ten centimetres taller, that the Natsuki in this universe was slightly better endowed than she was.

"They look well on you. Will you take this to the table, please?" she asked, handing Natsuki a bowl of salad. Natsuki tried not to shiver at the chopped scallions in the bowl. She was beginning to wonder if Kruger wasn't her evil counterpart.

"Is there anything else I can do?"

"You can open that bottle of wine, if you'd like," Shizuru said, absorbed in the large pot. "The corkscrew's in the drawer."

Natsuki blinked and nodded. She opened the bottle of red wine and placed it on the table, wondering if one of the perks of holding academic office was having access to a well-stocked wine cellar.

They sat at a modest dining table off the kitchen and began their meal.

"It's weird that you can cook. The Shizuru I know wouldn't be able to boil water." Mostly because she'd usually let one of her groupies do it, she added mentally.

"I'm not much of a cook, I'm afraid. Natsuki isn't either so we tend to go out to eat quite often."

Natsuki nodded politely. Any tiny little doubt that had lingered in her mind over the pair's domestic arrangements was quashed and she swallowed thickly. This Shizuru shared a bed with Kruger, the room she'd been escorted to clearly didn't have a full time occupant and she hadn't seen a second bed in the master suite. She wondered how much longer she was expected to maintain this stream of chit chat and what, exactly, was expected of her.

"So, um, Shizuru, are all those things that Youko-sensei told me, about the Robes and the Otome, all true?" searching for something as impersonal as she could manage.

"Of course. Does it sound that far-fetched?"

Natsuki shrugged, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Not after the things I've seen."

Shizuru knew it would be terribly rude to start interrogating her guest but her curiosity (and a nagging worry that Natsuki Kruger might be getting herself into trouble) won out.

"In your world, you're able to Materialise without a GEM, am I right?" she guessed, watching the young woman before her flinch.

"Yeah, well, kinda. I used to be. There were only thirteen of us, though. Not enough to fill an entire academy. We were called HiME."

"Would I know any of the other HiME, Natsuki?" Shizuru asked pleasantly. Natsuki froze, her face pale and guarded. She carefully placed her fork down beside her plate and made an effort not to look Shizuru in the eye.

"Um, yeah. Fujino Shizuru was one. She looks just like you do, talks the same too." She paused and frowned, clenching her back teeth together convulsively. "It's all over now, we all lost that ability."

Shizuru laid her own cutlery down, taking a deep breath as she did. They lost their power? Did a HiME lose their power in the same manner that an Otome did? She let silence settle between them for a while, not wanting to disturb Natsuki. The young woman eventually shook her head and smiled an unconvincing smile.

"It's all in the past; it's over, thank God."

"I'm glad," Shizuru said, smiling a supportive smile. She remembered this Natsuki; she'd known her years ago. It was difficult to remember how she was supposed to act, it was difficult to remember the person she herself had been back then. This Natsuki looked like she wanted nothing more than to flee. She sighed to herself and stood, lifting her empty plate. She offered Natsuki tea and served it in tiny cups balanced on a silver tray, all the while wishing for her lover.

* * *

_Very Early The Next Morning_

Natsuki stood blinking at the ruins of the Harmonium, wondering how a pile of rubble had managed to whisk her through space and time. Apparently Haruka shared her sentiments and was not at all shy about sharing her opinion at volume.

"Anything yet, Youko-sensei?" Yukino asked, keeping half an eye on Haruka. The blonde had been unable to fully grasp the idea that Yukino was President and she wasn't. The fact that she couldn't name the country she presumed herself to be ruler of was immaterial to her mind. Needless to say, it had not been a restful night.

"Nothing concrete, Madame President. The only thing the Harmonium's doing is making noise."

"I can't hear anything," Yukino said, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Is it within human hearing range?"

"No, it's pitched quite high above the maximum range, We're monitoring it, though. It might turn out to be resonance from the rest of the castle, but given this thing's history, we'd rather be sure. How did our visitors fare?"

"Well enough, given the circumstances," Yukino said. One did not achieve the position of President without learning a good deal of tact and diplomacy.

Shizuru nodded in agreement and looked over to where Natsuki was idly poking bits of the rubble. "Yesterday, all they had to do was come into contact with the ruins and they triggered that reaction. Why's it so different today?"

"We're working on it. Irina's over at Garderobe, running the data from here through the cluster. Hopefully it'll pick up on any patterns in the information we're getting here."

"The area is sealed off?" Shizuru asked, eyeing the guards on the gantry.

"No unauthorised personnel to set foot in here on pain of Mashiro's most imaginative punishments," she said wryly, folding her arms. "I'd advise you to take them out of here, keep them entertained. It isn't every day that we get visitors from another world."

"It isn't," Yukino murmured, "Shizuru-san, did Kuga-san mention her home to you?"

"She mentioned their HiME system, some kind of Materialising system, and that she and a girl named Fujino Shizuru used to be part of it."

Yukino nodded. "Suzushiro-san knew a version of me named Kikukawa Yukino, but she didn't mention HiME. I don't want to press her for details, she's been through enough." She was also slightly nervous around the young woman, acknowledging that her bluster and petty moralising were possibly covering some of the nastier parts of her personality.

Youko frowned and shrugged. "Maybe we're better off not knowing. But I'll say this; the sooner we send them home, get our women back and completely destroy this machine the better."

Shizuru smiled a lop sided smile, shaking her head. "So much for scientific curiosity."

Youko barked a laugh, running her hand through her hair. "Curiosity has a really good way of decimating scientists, you know. Especially curiosity into travel between universes."

Yukino left them with an apology to join the Parliamentary Reorganisation Summit soon after and Youko headed back to Garderobe, ostensibly to check up on Irina's progress.

"What now, bubuzuke woman? What plans have you got?"

Shizuru tried not to sigh. She'd been well equipped to deal with Haruka's acerbic teenage personality when she herself had been a teenager. Kuga Natsuki had her arms folded sulkily over her chest, glaring at the walls. _Kids_ she thought, wearily.

"Well, we could wander the city for a while. There's not much point in travelling to a new world without seeing some of it, is there?" Shizuru mused. "The monthly craft market is open today too."

Haruka perked up at that. "Shopping? If you're sure I won't be needed at that Partially Reorganised Something then I'll take a leaf from your shirking book!" she said, more cheerful than she had been since arriving. Natsuki rolled her eyes but nodded.

"Are you sure that you aren't needed in Garderobe, we could probably take care of ourselves."

Shizuru paused for a moment and thought about that. Garderobe could survive without her for a few days, it was well-used to her absence, and a chance to get away from the two was very tempting. She imagined the trouble the pair of them could get into alone and stifled a grimace.

"There are a few matters that need my attention back at the Academy, I must admit. I'll arrange for a guide for you two."

Haruka nodded. Another person meant another pair of arms to carry her bags. Since she had no intention of carrying her own bags, more arms would be essential.

Natsuki shrugged and went back to looking out over the Palace courtyard, looking beautiful and lonesome to Shizuru's eyes. She smiled a wry, nostalgic smile and shook her head.

"I'll just make a quick call."

* * *

Two hours later, Shizuru sat in the principal's office, sipping tea and reading over some papers that had been sent for official perusal. The office was quiet, the silence broken by a clock ticking on the wall. It wasn't a particularly peaceful or soothing quiet and eventually she abandoned the pretence of reading the forms at all.

She wondered how her own Natsuki was faring in a strange world. She wondered what she herself was like in that world, considering how uncomfortable she made both Suzushiro and Kuga. Shizuru sighed and and turned the chair, staring out the expansive window.

The last time she'd seen Natsuki looking so nervous and stand offish had been her first few weeks as a Coral, before a friendship with a certain incognito Zipang royal had brought her out of her shell. She and Haruka, as two of the Trias, had delighted in torturing the younger students in a variety of imaginative ways, her own admittedly more creative than Haruka's.

She remember how the short, grumpy Coral had leapt out of her skin the first few times she'd approached her (it had been a common reaction to her presence, all things told). The youngster had been one of many fangirls she'd teased but she'd been much more persistent than most and had ended up acting as her room attendant. It had been an eye opener for both of the and looking back, Shizuru recognised the birth of the woman who would become Gakeunchou Kruger. Eventually, familiarity and a burden of emotion had calmed their disillusionment and they'd become firm friends. By the end of Shizuru's second year, it hadn't been unusual for the pair of them to curl up in her room and talk for hours on end.

Truth be told, she'd rather forget what they had spoken about.

She shook her head and banished the ephemeral wraiths of the past, turning back to her cooling tea and stack of paper work. A small smile spread across her face. At least she wasn't bringing them around the town.

* * *

"Here you go; market," Nao Zhang said grumpily, hands balled into fists on her hips. This was the last time she ever agreed to do Shizuru a favour. The first year student had been pulled out of the weekly Reading Afternoon (or rather, Sleeping Afternoon) at the university and assigned baby sitting duty.

Haruka glared at her ('damn delinquent like her getting into university') and stomped off to the nearest stall. She was not at all happy to have been forced into a wig, dark glasses and a hat but Shizuru had insisted. Natsuki rolled her eyes at her antics and sat down on the edge of a fountain, enjoying the sunshine. Nao threw her hands up in despair and made her way over, sitting beside her.

"So, Lady Kruger, second cousin of the great and worldly Natsuki Kruger and also, in honour of your illustrious relative, called Natsuki, what do you think of our city?" Nao asked sardonically. It was common knowledge to most in Windbloom that the Kruger clan were all largely identical and the appearance of a teenaged version of Gakuenchou Kruger was unlikely to raise as many eyebrows as the appearance of the massively popular Armitage.

Natsuki shrugged and trailed her hand in the fountain. "It's strange. It's old fashioned but it's nice." She slid her eyes sideways and stared at the young woman beside her. She noticed the Roman four embroidered on her Mandarin style shirt (above a golden spider, she was none too pleased to note) and cleared her throat.

"Are you an Otome like Shizuru?" she asked quietly, keeping a discrete eye on Haruka as she bullied some vendors.

"Yup, Column Four," she said, investigating her finger nails. "It's a bit of a pain, really, but it has its perks. I get to Certify myself and my college fees are paid by Garderobe, which is sweet."

Natsuki frowned, sifting through the large amount of information that Youko and Shizuru had thrown at the her previous morning. "Shizuru's a Column too, isn't she? Number three."

"She is. And Kruger is number two," she said, curious at the frown on Natsuki's face.

"I still don't understand it, the Robes and Otome. It's like the HiME, but not exactly the same."

Nao leaned forward slightly and studied Natsuki, struck again at how young the woman was. She couldn't be older than herself, she mused. "The HiME system was activated briefly a while ago, it let us Materialise without Certification. It seems that here at least, the HiME system was the ancient basis for the Otome GEMs," she speculated. "It was great, I've got to say. It'd be fantastic to have it on all the time."

Natsuki scowled. "Anything based on that damn power can't be good. It puts too much on the line."

Nao shrugged. "People enter into the contract knowing what to expect, though. They know there's a balance between being protected and the risks of fighting."

Natsuki laughed a bitter laugh. "How could they, when even we didn't know to begin with? It's not worth having that power, if you have to put the person you love in danger."

Nao was silent for a few moments, digesting that. Obviously, the relationship between the HiME and Otome was not straight forward. She hopped up and turned back to Kuga, rocking on the balls of her feet.

"Enough business talk, let's go find that mad woman before she collapses the economy, eh? I know a really good bar along the river, too. It does great food."

* * *

"Request granted, Major Hallard, enjoy your evening. Please don't forget about the breakfast meeting tomorrow."

"Yes, Madame President. Thank you." She paused and tilted her head to one side. "Are you sure that you wouldn't prefer me to stay, given the circumstances?" Chie asked, her mind wandering directly to the youthful Haruka wandering the streets in the care of Nao Zhang.

Yukino shook her head and smiled. "Nonsense. You requested this evening weeks ago. Suzushiro-san and I will be fine, go and enjoy your night out."

Chie nodded solemnly and headed out of the President's suite, hurrying through the palace. Guards nodded crisply at her and porters scurried away. She was slightly bemused at how much more respect her plain, grey uniform with its stripes at the cuff commanded than her Pearl uniform ever had.

It probably had something to do with the trousers; people respected trousers with a crease ironed into the front of them.

Waiting at the appointed place, she glanced at her watch and cleaned her glasses on a pocket handkerchief.

"No flowers for me, this time?"

Chie managed not to jump at the voice and turned to grin at Aoi. "I managed to beg the evening off, as hoped."

"I hope you don't owe any favours on my account," Aoi admonished. She stepped forward and tucked her hand in the crook of Chie's elbow, kissing her lightly on the cheek. Chie blushed slightly and they made their way out of the palace.

They wandered the fragrant streets of Windbloom, talking softly in the busy night air. The town seemed to be in a festive mood and a good deal of its younger population were enjoying the early warmth. Many nodded at Chie in greeting; her Aries Army uniform being a welcome sight. Aries had provided a good deal of assistance in the initial rebuilding of their city and, much more importantly to the majority of people, was advising the Queen in her revival of the old parliament.

They found a restaurant still serving despite the late hour and were seated beside a pair of French doors on the first floor. The proprietor of the establishment had certainly made an effort to introduce a certain ambience and a dumpy candle flickered between them.

They ordered and ate, catching up on minutiae from their lives that hadn't been covered, or covered in sufficient detail, in the letters they sent each other. Their chairs edged closer and closer together as the night wore on and Chie removed her heavy woollen jacket.

Their table was cleared and, before they could request tea, the owner set small glasses before them and winked.

"Damn them, we'll be drunk!" Chie declared in a tone of voice implying that she was delighted with the prospect. They each sipped their digestif and Aoi shuddered at the strong flavour.

"I don't mind being drunk, Chie, but I'd rather not have a hangover."

Chie swallowed and gave a little cough, one side of her mouth twitching. She smiled a small smile and nodded at the jug of water on the table. "A few more glasses of that will flush it out of us."

Aoi shook her head. "Going away to the army certainly has had a terrible effect on you."

Chie shrugged. "Everyone says that strong liquor is the only way to make the Brigadier General bearable. I'd tend to agree."

Aoi laughed and shook her head. They sat in comfortable quiet as the waiters and chefs closed the kitchen, the former tossing their aprons to newcomers who took up their posts behind the small bar. A few couples drifted in and sat at tables, sipping wine and enjoying the evening.

"It's nice to be able to have this evening out, isn't it?" Aoi mused, sounding slightly lonesome. Chie nodded and moved her chair even closer, draping a casual arm around her shoulders. Aoi had taken her other hand and held it between her own. She smiled at the cufflinks decorated with the crossed swords of her rank insignia and leaned against her, resting her head on her shoulder.

"I'll be up for promotion soon, you know," the Major said quietly. "There's a position opening at the Diplomatic Corps for someone to assist in the donkey work for the TDP. It sounds interesting and it'd get me another stripe on my arm when it's over."

Aoi chuckled and threaded her fingers with Chie's. "I'll never understand why you weren't promoted years ago. You got that medal, after all."

Chie raised a dubious eyebrow. "Aoi, seventeen years olds are not eligible-"

"I know, I know," she said, amusement evident in her tone, they'd had this discussion before. "Are you going to go for it?"

"It'd mean a lot of travel, which could be good and bad. It's a two year long project, and they think that there might be two six month long visits to Windbloom," she said, mischief in her eyes. "What do you think?"

Aoi looked quite surprised, to say the least. She turned to face Chie properly, to make sure she wasn't joking, and stared at her for a moment or two.

"Are you really serious? You'd be living here?"

"In the Aries consulate, probably. Since the project is based here, I'd spend most of my time here, co-ordinating the Otome records for it. But the down side is I could be spending time as far away as Zipang." She paused, and reconsidered. "Well, not too much time in Zipang, they're pretty open and shut when it comes to Otome technology. At the end of the two years, Windbloom's Civil Service would take the project over and curate the information."

Aoi paused to consider Chie's words, noting the worried look she was trying her best to hide. She shook her head and kissed her lover on the cheek. "It sounds wonderful. You'll have to write me letters, of course, and bring back presents when you're away. Who knows; maybe I'll join the Civil Service and take over from you."

Chie's face brightened in relief. Aoi smiled fondly and crossed her arms. "I'm serious, let me tell you. I'm getting too old to be a maid. I've been running around after Mashiro-sama for more than half my life, you know."

"Ah, you're so old! Cradle snatching a young thing like me."

Aoi looked out the window and did her best to ignore the hand on her lower back, tickling lightly. "I'll ask to be given a nice position with an office and a secretary, where no one will bother me."

Chie smiled and shook her messy head, leaning her chin on Aoi's shoulder, looking out over the busy street along with her. Several other couples were doing the same, and one of the bar staff were humming along with the radio as they polished glasses.

At the end of all the bother with the Harmonium, she'd been desperately worried about Aoi. She had worried herself sick about the mild-mannered woman in the run up to the reclamation of the palace. She had worried about her injuries and how the emergency evacuation might have affected her. She had worried about leaving her but was left with no choice. She had been absolutely terrified that she'd never have another chance to hold her.

She'd been most worried, however, that Nagi would find out she'd been feeding Aries with sensitive information and decide upon a creative punishment.

Her worries, and she had many more besides, never failed to melt away when she was around Aoi. That evening was no exception, as she laid her palm flat on Aoi's back, feeling the little bumps of her spine and the long planes of her back. She was warm through the fabric of her blouse; warmer again as she rested her head beside Chie's, nuzzling her discretely.

So she would do her best to get transferred to the Diplomatic Corps for the project, despite the fact that many would call her mad for giving up her position as leader of the Delta Squad. The squad was all well and good, she'd mused, but it didn't have an Aoi on it.

Separation had, in their case, not only prompted stacks of letters, but also proved itself impotent in swaying their devotion. It seemed that on occasion, absence _did_ make the heart grow fonder. The soft cheek of her lover against her own, her hair burnished in the low light drew a small sigh from her lips.

"Let's go back, Aoi," she said in a very low voice, squeezing Aoi's hand and drawing back slightly.

They made their way back through much quieter streets, leaning against each other much more fully than they had done on their way down. Chie had kept her eyes peeled for handy flowers to pluck but saw none. An enterprising person could make a fortune selling single flowers to amorous couples at night, she mused.

The palace guard saluted them as they made their way through the gates, still not speaking. As they reached the stairs, and Chie made to slow down, Aoi tugged her along a corridor and into her own rooms.

"Is this ok?" Chie asked, smiling ruefully even as she took her jacket off.

"It's fantastic," Aoi said, stepping up to Chie and wrapping an arm around her neck, deftly lifting her glasses off with the other. "Just remind me to set the alarm. We've both got early days tomorrow."

She wrapped her arms tightly around Chie and felt arms wrap securely around her own waist, pulling her onto her tiptoes. She was always surprised at how strong Chie was, and how oblivious she was to the fact. They kissed slowly and gently, reacquainting themselves with one another. They broke apart in the dark room and Chie rested her forehead against Aoi's.

"I'll take you away some day, you know that? I'll steal you from Windbloom and we'll fly somewhere where it's only you and me, and we won't need to set an alarm."

"We will," Aoi said, with quiet confidence and kissed her lover again. "We will, sometime soon. But we do need to be awake in the morning." The effectiveness of her statement was lessened, somehow, by her punctuating each word with a small kiss.

"We'd best get to bed them," Chie said, eyes dark and completely focused on the woman before her. "Grab a glass of water and set the alarm first though, I have plans for you."

"Plans?" Aoi said, a small grin on her face. "But you never even got me a flower."

* * *

Unknown to Chie and Aoi, several hours previous they had passed by a bar containing three young ladies sat on a wooden balcony over looking the river. Dusk was falling and as lights were lit their reflections danced over the dark water below. Sounds of merriment and hundreds of different scents drifted from the opposite bank.

"It's nice along the river," Haruka said, mellowed after a couple of glasses of Summer Cup. She speared a couple of lumps of fruit on a toothpick and chewed them thoughtfully. "It isn't so bad here, you know."

Nao sipped her beer and nodded. "It was redeveloped a couple of years ago, it's really brought the place on. It's similar to a few of the cities in Florence. What do you think, Kuga?"

"It's pretty pleasant," she said mildly, lounging against the railing and inspecting the roof tops. "You live in the university, right? Over there."

"Just behind it. That's the library tower you can see. My room's not as high up as that."

Haruka shook her head ruefully. "You're certainly different here, you know. Back where we are, you're a total delinquent."

Nao laughed and grinned a toothy grin. "I'm an absolute angel, don't you know."

Natsuki looked dubious but said nothing. The Nao sitting beside her, who'd kept her glass filled throughout the evening and kept them entertained, would probably have been the first to give Yuuki Nao a good smack. She tried not to compare Nao, Shizuru and the rest to the people she knew back home and was finding it increasingly difficult not to. Maybe the Mai here was a vicious sociopath; that would put the balance right.

Haruka yawned into her drink and Nao lifted an eyebrow. "As much as I'd love to sit here drinking with you girls all night, we'd better head back. Maybe they've figured a way to get grumpy old Kruger back."

The walk back to the palace was short and pleasant, with much of the city swinging into life after dark. Restaurants and bars lined the streets, music and laughter spilling onto the street. Nao hummed as she walked slightly in front of the other two, earning a good amount of tipped hats and smiles.

"They really respect you," Natsuki said, impressed despite herself.

"Nah, it's not me. It's the Column they respect. This place would be rubble under Nagi if it hadn't been for Garderobe."

"You have a Nagi too?"

"Yeah, he's in prison at the minute. Tried to conquer Windbloom as a starting point for taking over the world."

"Hmph, we had one too."

"Had?" Nao asked, wondering briefly why Natsuki didn't sound too distraught at having lost him.

They reached the palace and managed to sneak Haruka in without much ado. They paused briefly to ask if Youko had made any breakthroughs and were told she hadn't, but was hopeful. Nao and Natsuki left and made their way through quieter streets, heading for Garderobe.

"So tell me more about your world, Kuga," Nao said, stretching her arms above her head.

"There's not much to tell," Natsuki said, "I'm almost failing school and I spend most of my time being tutored by Shizuru. It's pretty dull."

"Is Shizuru quite different, then?" she asked, wondering if she'd be able to extract a bit of gossip from her reticent companion. When herself and Kruger had been journeying, Shizuru had rarely been mentioned. Nao was, by nature, a curious person and was not willing to pass up the chance for inside information.

"I don't think so. She's a lot more mature here but I guess that's to be expected."

Nao was slightly surprised. Given Shizuru Viola's reputation for teasing attractive young students, what must her un-mellowed counterpart be like? Nao shuddered, deciding that some information wasn't worth having.

"Am I there?" she asked, suspecting that she was. Natsuki nodded slowly but wouldn't look her in the eye. "Ah, we're not on the best terms, then."

"Where I come from is normal, you know? I'm not a count's daughter and I don't hang around with world leaders. It's boring. But it seems that everyone's more complicated there."

"More messed up?"

Natsuki paused for a moment. "Yeah, much more messed up."

They continued to walk in silence for a few moments, some indefinable tension between them. Nao cleared her throat and looked at the sullen girl.

"You know, it might help to talk about it all, you know," she said, mostly trying to break the uncomfortable, stilted silence between them.

Natsuki frowned and shoved her hands deeper into her pockets. "I doubt that, somehow. It's enough to say that we all hurt each other pretty badly and now everyone's acting like nothing happened. Sometimes it feels like I'm not even awake, that I'm just drifting through it all without touching it. I don't know if it's going to get better, either."

Nao had slowed during the short speech and they found themselves at the summit of a small bridge. They stopped altogether and Natsuki leaned on the railing, tired eyes drifting over the surface of the water. Nao perched beside her and looked down at the dark head.

"Well, it sounds like to need to talk to all those guys, get it all out in the open. Nothing you did can be that bad, can it?"

Natsuki said nothing but her shoulders tensed beneath the fabric of her blouse. "We all did some pretty horrible things, Nao. We knew what we were getting ourselves into and we couldn't stop it from happening."

Nao was quiet for a moment or two, wondering what exactly had gone on. She personally believed that there were always ways around things that seemed inevitable. Wisely, she said nothing. After what seemed like an appropriate length of time, she hopped off the railing and patted Natsuki on the back in a consolatory manner.

"Come on, it's bed time. I don't know about you, but I have early morning class tomorrow."

* * *

Natsuki thanked Nao, watching her leave before she rang the doorbell to Shizuru's home, fidgeting on the doorstep.

"Ah, good evening, Kuga-san. Did you enjoy your day?"

"Yes," Natsuki said, stepping into the house, "it was pretty nice."

"You've eaten, haven't you?" the tall woman asked, leading Natsuki into the living room. "Nao said you were stopping along the river for a while."

"Um, yeah, you got the message then," she said. She took a seat when Shizuru indicated that she should and tried her best not to slump back into the soft cushions. It had been a long, tiring day and she was feeling sleepy from the beer she'd drank.

"Did Nao take you to any of the city's museums or galleries?"

"Nah, she said she didn't want to go anywhere where Haruka was around delicate objects. And she really is some sort of celebrity, isn't she?"

Shizuru shrugged. "She is, I have to say. An enterprising young television executive spotted her while filming a documentary about the Aries army, before President Chrysant was elected. Once she was, he approached them with the idea of making a weekly segment. It's very popular."

Natsuki nodded slowly, looking all around the room. She stood and wandered to a group of framed photographs on the wall, some of them featuring Kruger and others with Shizuru. The majority, however, showed them together.

"Lots of pictures," she said, turning to Shizuru.

"Ara, they're good to have."

"She looks just like me," Natsuki said softly. "I can't believe it. And that's my mother! My god, is she still alive?"

Shizuru nodded. "She lives in Kruger County with the rest of your family. That picture was taken two years ago at the Kruger Manor, the last time we visited."

"Who are the rest of these people, then?" she asked, half dreading the answer.

"Your father and sisters, of course, and your eldest niece."

Natsuki paled. "They're not mine, dammit," she said, perturbed. Shizuru smiled at her, not looking at all contrite. Natsuki turned from the picture wall and stalked back to the couch.

"The sooner I get home, the better. God only knows what my Shizuru is doing to Kruger," she muttered.

"Your Shizuru?"

Natsuki blushed. "The Shizuru in my world. She's an upperclassman of mine. Well, she was. She graduated." The phrase nothing more was implicit in the statement and Shizuru felt a pang of untoward nostalgia.

"Strange," Shizuru said, regarding the young woman with a great deal of fondness, "that's just what happened here, too."

* * *

Touch was of paramount importance between them. The memory of when Mashiro had wrapped her arms around Arika's neck and flown above the confines of earth and into the lower reaches of space was still strong. Arika had occasionally wrapped a casual arm around her waist to secure her, but there had never been any evidence that it had taken much effort on her part. Mashiro had been buoyed aloft by the unacknowledged strength that her Otome possessed.

A kiss on the hand was nothing special; she received dozens on a busy day. But the memory of Arika kneeling to kiss her hand all those years ago to confirm their contract was still vivid in her mind. The heavy warmth of those lips bumping against her hand came to mind without much effort.

They made their way back to the silence of Mashiro's chambers, nodding to servants as they went. Many looked as if they were trying to keep delight from showing. Once inside, Mashiro had shed her upper layers and kicked off her shoes, watching as Arika dimmed the overhead lights and closed the curtains. She was glad that Aoi had asked for the evening off.

"Mashiro-chan," Arika said softly, coming up behind here. "Are you OK?"

It was surprising how much someone could grow in a year, Mashiro mused. Arika was much taller than she had been and showed no signs of slowing her growth. As she buried her face in her Otome's chest, it was comforting to be enclosed in the circle of her arms.

"Are you OK, Mashiro-chan?"

Mashiro sighed into the soft fabric of Arika's dress, idly tracing the design embroidered onto the front. After a few moments of silence, Arika tugged her towards her large bed. She sat and gathered the petite queen in a strong hug, kissing the crown of her head.

"Are you worried about the new parliament?"

Mashiro nodded and Arika smoothed the hair spilling over her bare back. The young queen let her eyes close and buried her face in the hollow of Arika's shoulder, holding on to a fleeting memory of soaring above clouds with the wind chilling her cheeks. She remembered the sun rising over their entire planet, light shining through the indigo atmosphere and exploding around them. She remembered the stars above them, shining steadily in the darkness of space. She remembered Arika's face, brighter and more radiant than all of these things combined.

She sighed and took Arika's hand, playing with the shapely fingers. Her rings glinted in the dim light and she wondered if she'd be remembered for the good she'd done or for the bad that had taken place due to her ignorance.

"I think you're doing the right thing, Mashiro-chan. I understand it now, you know. I sat down and had Irina-chan explain it all. I think it makes really good sense. You're keeping your promise." The irony of the situation being that the only way to make the people happy was to give them the power to decide their own fates, a parliament elected by the people, all the while shedding her own power as absolute monarch.

Mashiro sighed again and Arika shifted, moving herself against the headboard, kicking her shoes off as she did. "Don't worry. You know I'll be looking after you no matter what, right?"

Mashiro was silent for a while before looking up at Arika. "This is what the people want, right? To be able to decide for themselves and not be subject to the whims of a queen like me."

"I think you're a great queen. You're working really hard to make everyone happy and this is what they want. I know it's hard, but it's a noble thing." She stroked her friend's cheek gently, sadness in her eyes. "They need to be able to choose their own paths."

Mashiro closed her eyes and nestled into Arika, suddenly very tired. "It's really happening, though."

Arika nodded but said nothing, letting silence fall around them. In the dim light the furthest edges of the room faded from view, inky deep darkness solid past diffuse halos of light. The Otome closed her eyes and listened to her master breathing, finding herself timing her breaths to match.

"I'm so tired," Mashiro said softly. Arika nodded and gently lifted her up, helping her out of the last of her clothes and into a night-gown left neatly on the bed. The queen crawled in under the covers and blinked sleepily at Arika.

"Stay with me, please."

It wasn't an uncommon request and Arika stripped down to her slip before sliding under the duvet and curling around Mashiro, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Sleep well, Mashiro-chan."

"Sleep well, Arika."

The last thoughts that skimmed through Mashiro's head that night, her loyal friend breathing slowly and deeply beside her, were of clouds higher than mountains flying and a gentle arm around her waist before they burst into the airless light of heaven.

* * *

Natsuki woke to the smell of fresh tea that morning and made her way down to the kitchen, hiding a yawn behind her hand. Shizuru was standing rattling dishes with her back to her and Natsuki paused for a moment, unsure and awkward again.

"Ara," Shizuru said after a few minutes when she caught sight of Natsuki, "I didn't see you there, Kuga-san. Good morning."

"Morning," Natsuki confirmed, wondering what exactly was good about it.

"You don't mind accompanying me to the palace this morning, do you? According to a message we received late last night, Youko-sensei has news."

"Oh, right. Good news?"

"We'll see. Would you like some breakfast?"

* * *

The morning had dawned overcast and slightly humid, precisely Mashiro's least favourite kind of weather. She sighed and pulled a brush through her hair, watching Arika and Aoi bustle around her quarters through her mirror. She stifled a small, fond smile and instead adjusted her robes.

Aoi, walking over with her freshly polished shoes, smiled cheerfully and handed them to Mashiro.

"Are you nearly ready, your Majesty?"

"Yes, thank you," she replied. "Do you want to take the rest of the day off, at all? Maybe find Major Hallard?" she asked, slightly cheekily.

"Not at all, there's plenty to be done here today," she said, amused. "And I'm sure Major Hallard is busy herself."

Arika nodded, trying to fix her bow. "Everyone's busy with the Summit and with the Harmonium." Aoi nodded and gently turned Arika around, adjusting her bow. The pair of young women had filled Aoi in on the Harmonium business, knowing that Chie would be obliged not to tell her and that it would go no further than the loyal woman.

Mashiro frowned. "It's not a good time to loose a Column. Or Garderobe's Gakuenchou. These whole talks could be for nothing if everyone thinks we're lying about supporting the Technological Dissemination Project."

"We'll get Gakuenchou-san back, don't worry. And, if not, can't we just ask Kuga-san to act in her place? I did kinda the same thing before and it was pretty good fun."

Aoi felt her right eye twitch slightly and she rubbed it gently. "I don't think it would be fair to ask Kuga-san. Besides, isn't she too old to become an Otome? And we don't have Kruger-san's GEM."

Arika tipped her head to one side in consideration as they made their way to the door of Mashiro's quarters. "I suppose you're right, Aoi-san."

Aoi let them through the door, smiling as Arika took Mashiro's elbow. The monarch made her way down the corridor in muted reginal self-assurance, her presence more impressive every day.

* * *

After sneaking past the press gathered for the Summit, Shizuru and Natsuki found themselves in Youko's makeshift laboratory. The scientist seemed quite tired as she sipped a large mug of strong coffee. Irina was kneeling on the floor beside a large heap of technology, tugging wires. Haruka was perched on a stool, glaring at Shizuru.

"Suzushiro-san, it's a good thing Madame President was able to convince the assembly that Meister Armitage's presence wasn't necessary for a second day in a row."

Haruka sniffed. "Apparently, they're so intimidated by my politzerizing skills that they agreed to back down on a ton of issues if I left," she looked far too smug, Youko thought, for one so dim.

"What do you know, sensei?" Natsuki asked, wrapping her arms around her in an effort to fight off the pervasive chill. It wasn't very warm in the caverns at all.

"We discovered the the sound we reported yesterday is exhibiting a very complicated pattern. It does seem to contain various small cycles that are highly regular within themselves, but their place in the overall scheme is unclear. If we had more time to study it, we might be able to say something more sensible."

"But don't despair!" Irina said, hopping up. "What we do know is that the sound is definitely being caused by the Harmonium and that it's resonating with the palace stone."

Youko nodded. "Which means that it might be detectable in other parts of the palace, using other instruments. There are about three or four antique seismometers in the treasury, they had a king about sixty years ago who fancied himself a scientist. If any of those are still around, there might be a record spanning a greater length of time."

"So we go to the treasury, then," Shizuru said. "Why did you call us over, if you only had preliminary results?"

Youko looked slightly chargrined and stood up. "Because those old-fashioned things need to be looked over manually and because the overall energy being emitted by the Harmonium is increasing. It could be building towards an explosion or God knows what."

Haruka nodded nervously. "Right, then. Treasury it is."

* * *

Later that day, the small group of women finally managed to track down someone with both the keys of the Treasury and permission to enter it. Sakomizu showed them down a long corridor, past portraits of past rulers and heroic scenes, before letting them through into the dim room. The door was so heavy that it required more muscle power than they had to move and so, Shizuru had summoned her Robe and yanked it open.

"It's a good thing it wasn't looted in the riots or the invasion. I think Nagi was just too preoccupied with the Harmonium," Sakomizu mused. "What do you need in here, anyway?" He was extremely curious about what was going on. Ever since Kruger and Armitage had collapsed in front of the Harmonium, they hadn't been acting the same. They were being suspiciously quiet and they looked subtly different. Were they in new clothes? Did they have new hairstyles? Had they lost weight? He considered asking them their secret, if the latter was the case.

"Some of the old machines that King Ole was so fond of making, Cardinal," Shizuru said. "They might help us with our research."

"Oh, right. Well, Ingstand the Dubber and his nephew take quite good care of everything in here. They usually come in once a month. They're off applying a French Polish to the benches in the old Parliament buildings. I can have them summoned, if you need."

"Thank you Cardinal, hopefully we won't need to disturb them as they're needed there. We'll be fine."

"I found them," Youko called from the rear of the cavernous chamber. They found her hunched over a low table, peering at lacquered wooden boxes. "There's four of them."

"Are they OK?" Natsuki asked, grimacing at a mounted skeleton in a cabinet.+

"These two look like they're still going, though they're not in sync with one another."

"Not in sync?"

"They're the two older ones. I suppose they were sturdier, but not as good at keeping the time. Come on, I'm sure we can calibrate them." She reached in and flicked the machine off, stabilising the needles before closing their inlaid lids and latching them shut. "Come on and grab one. We're taking the lot. Cardinal, we'll bring them back as soon as we're finished.

Sakomizu looked quite worried when he heard that, but said nothing. How on earth would he explain this to Ingstand and little Eorl?

_+The skeleton belonged to an ex king of Central Cardair and, the ancient legends of the Twelve Kingdom War recount, would only be returned for proper burial when the head of the Queen of Artai was returned to Windbloom, her maiden home. Unfortunately for Cardair, the Queen had been sentenced to death by a large mob and tied to five fast horses, which rent her asunder. In retrospect, doing this without appropriate restraints on the five horses showed a serious lack of foresight. When the horse that had been attached to her neck returned to his stable three days later, there was no sign of the head. Since that day, it has been the practice in Artai to use much more sensible executioners. Sergei Wang notwithstanding._

* * *

The five women had gone to the War Room and spread the long rolls of paper out on the huge table. Whatever could be said about the folly of kings, the decision to use rolls of paper large enough to last a month was redeemed from their varied ranks.

"Look," Natsuki said, marvelling at the small spikes. "They seem so random."

"We need the entire record," Youko muttered. "Shizuru-san, do you think you could head over to the parliament building after all and ask Ingstand if he knows where the rest is?"

"Of course. I'll be back soon."

Irina frowned and adjusted her glasses. "We've got the last few days, anyway. But the arms were different lengths."

"And out of sync. We can't compare them directly." She lifted a spare roll of paper from the backup caddy and frowned at it. "Irina, head to the Bursar's office and ask if they have those accounting rolls with squared paper, please. and some pencils and a few rulers."

"Is there anything we can do?" Natsuki asked, watching as Youko opened her laptop.

"No, nothing yet." Her finger flew over the keys, the clicking echoing softly in the giant room. "You seem to know me, from your own world."

"You're the school nurse. You're good friends with my teacher, Sugiura Midori."

Youko shook her head. "I haven't been good friends with her in years. Although, we've been making an effort to catch up recently."

Natsuki nodded. "That's good."

Haruka had busied herself by inspecting the huge maps all over the walls.

"Woah, we're in Windbloom, right? It's tiny! It's one of the smallest countries here."

"It's dense," Youko said a touch flippantly. "It has a lot of people."

"And Garderobe," Natsuki muttered. "Is it the only school for Otome?"

"Up until a year ago, it was the only place with the technology to make the GEMs. It was very highly guarded knowledge."

"And now?"

"And now we're all trying to see what the best future is for the GEM system and Otome."

Natsuki stared at a picture of a pair of monarchs standing beside two women in fantastic outfits. "You're better off without it, you know. There's too much on the line."

Youko paused and looked up at her. "I believe you. Thousands wouldn't. Which is precisely our problem at the minute."

Natsuki barked a humourless laugh and sat beside Youko, slumping in the chair and gazing out the window. She was slightly hungry and she frowned. Getting regular meals was really going to screw up her eating like a ravenous wolverine twice a day between periods of coffee and study.

Irina arrived back with a large box, filled with materials and sporting a frown.

"They made me sign a requisition form! If I don't bring everything back, or pay for it, they say they'll send the Royal Tax Collectors after me."

Youko sighed. "Don't worry, I'll take care of those bloody accountants. And besides, you're a student; you don't even pay tax."

"Exactly. Let's keep it that way."

* * *

When Shizuru arrived back, Ingstand the Dubber and a crate of paper rolls in tow, she saw the accounting rolls stretched out beside the two most recent records, all taped securely to the desk.

"Youko, let me introduce Ingstand, the Master Dubber. He has a keen interest in these and all the other machines in the vault and it's thanks to him that those machines are kept loaded with paper. We have the last year and a half's records here from all the machines and the rest are easily accessible."

Youko thanked the pair of them and Ingstand, toast-rack chest puffed out in pride, tottled back to his polishing. Wait until he told the rest of them about this, he mused. Finally, it was Ingstand's moment to shine.

"Right, spread those new rolls out on the floor over there and grab a few rulers."

In a short time, using data collected during the Harmonium Conflict by several digital machines throughout the kingdom, they had managed to calibrate the records. They began running through the long sheets from the previous few days, especially around the time of the incident which had swapped their Otome, marking off peaks on the blank paper. After a few hours of scribbling, they had produced a accurate record of seismic vibrations from the previous few days.

"My god, look at this," Youko said, frowning, "it's a wonder the plates weren't rattling in the kitchen. We'll need to upload this data and run the same pattern finding algorithms, but there it is in black and white."

Irina nodded and pointed to the record previous to the spike. "These levels here are much higher than what we're recording now. Is it really cyclical on such a grand scale?"

"We'll have to look further into the record, to be sure."

Haruka shook her hand out and frowned. "Isn't there a quicker way of doing this? I'm going cross eyed from looking at it."

Youko shrugged. "We'll get some of the Corals in to help. That might speed things up. Irina?"

"Sure, I'll round up some from my class."

Natsuki tucked some hair behind her ear and blew out an exasperated breath. "But what does it all mean? Are we any closer to getting home?"

"Not right now," Youko said kindly, "but we're working on it.

* * *

Hours later, Youko summoned everyone back to the War Room. Mashiro and Arika sat at the top of the table and the others had spaced themselves out around the room, taking care not to upset any of Youko's machines.

"I think that there's a chance there's going to be another spike in the Harmonium's energy levels tomorrow at around eleven o-clock in the morning. I'm fairly certain that if Kuga-san and Suzushiro-san are in direct contact with the Harmonium, they'll be sent back to their own world and we'll get our women back."

Yukino, her hands clasped in front of her and a worried frown on her face, glanced at Haruka. "Are you sure? What if they get injured or if it fails? How can you be so sure?"

"We can't be one hundred percent sure it'll work, but it's our best chance. The Harmonium was designed to affect the stability of matter at its basic level. One of its original functions could have been to transport matter. It does make sense."

Mashiro was about to contest that when there was a knock at the door. One of the palace porters opened it and announced the arrival of Tokiha Mai and Nekogami Mikoto. Natsuki sat up straighter in her chair, leaning forward slightly.

"We came as soon as Sarah-chan arrived, what's the matter?" the redhead asked, closing the door behind her. Mikoto nodded to Mashiro and Arika but frowned when she caught site of Natsuki. As quick as lightning, she leapt over the table, levelling her staff at Natsuki's throat. The brunette had managed to scramble to her feet, knocking her chair over as she went and was considering using it to fend Mikoto off.

"Ladies!" Mashiro shouted, hopping up, "you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"

Both Mai and Shizuru had leapt into the fray, the Column Materialising quickly. "Mikoto!" Mai hissed, "are you mad! That's Natsuki!"

"It sure as hell is not!" Mikoto retorted, growling at the girl. "This isn't Kruger."

"Mikoto-san, you're right. This isn't Natsuki Kruger, but she isn't an enemy," Shizuru said, laying a hand on Natsuki's shoulder. "If you please take a seat, we'll explain all this."

Mikoto looked back to Mai, whose eyes were riveted to Natsuki. She looked like she'd seen a ghost. She felt the weight of Mikoto's expectant eyes and looked down, nodding dumbly. Mikoto scowled at Natsuki one last time and took an empty chair, golden eyes flicking around the table.

"Um, before you do anything, Mikoto-san, this isn't quite the same Haruka either," Yukino said nervously. She tugged the blonde woman back into her seat and eventually everyone settled into a tense silence.

"It's good to know some things never change," Natsuki muttered under her breath, glaring at Mikoto. Shizuru shot her an irritated glance before turning to Yukino. Between them and Youko, they outlined the situation and their ideas for the following morning.

Mikoto, who had listened carefully throughout, tipped her head to one side. "Youko's right. It can be used to transport things. I think Miyu would know more, but Jyubei hasn't been able to find her for a few weeks."

Arika glanced anxiously at Mashiro. "Is Miyu-san ok?"

"Oh, she'll appear in a week or two. She does this a lot," Mikoto answered. "I think your plan might work, though."

"You think?" Haruka asked, not at all pleased with the conditional nature of the statement.

Mikoto shrugged. "It didn't kill you last time, did it? If it fails, you'll still be here and they'll be where ever. Go for it."

Mai, who had been sneaking glances at mini-Natsuki and Haruka during the discussions, snapped her attention back to the present. "Mikoto's usually right about things like this. There's still a few bits and pieces of technology in Nekogami Mountain and they haven't blown us up yet."

"Yet."

"I think that before we go any further, we need to ask Kuga-san and Suzushiro-san what they think about all this," Yukino said, easily drawing the room's attention. "What's your opinion? Do you think the risks are too great?"

Natsuki was quiet for a few minutes and Haruka turned to look out the window. "I don't know," the brunette said. "Are you sure that the worst thing that could happen is that we'll just be left standing around like idiots?"

"And what about when we get back home? What if your general's been wreaking havoc in my apartment?"

"Is that the last place you were?" Mashiro asked, curiosity piqued.

"I was getting ready to make dinner," Haruka said, not seeing how it mattered.

"Haruka-chan might seem flighty and hasty and prone to rushing into things without thinking," Yukino said, earning an annoyed look, "but if she found herself alone in your apartment, I think she'd spend a while evaluating the situation. It's what she's been trained to do."

Chie nodded encouragingly. "She taught me basic espionage. She's very adept at it." Surprisingly adept, all things considered, she added to herself.

"I'll go back tomorrow," Haruka said. "There's no telling how far the reconstruction of Fuuka will have fallen behind if I'm not there to supervise." She glared at Shizuru. "Certain people might be undoing all my good work."

Natsuki shrugged. "I'll go, if you don't think it's dangerous." She frowned and bit her lip. "Um, also, I was sitting in the middle of a picnic with about a dozen other people my age. I reckon that there's a good chance that the sooner I get there and explain everything, the better."

Worried looks flitted about the table. What trouble, exactly, would Natsuki Kruger get herself into if left to her own devices?

Mashiro nodded. "Right, well, how about if we all meet before the summit tomorrow? We can wish you a safe journey back. Everyone meet here tomorrow at half past eight.

Mikoto scratched the back of her head as she walked over to Natsuki. She had a small, contrite grin on her face.

"Ah, sorry about that. I was worried you might be a spy or something. Ever since Junior came back, I haven't had up to the minute updates from here."

Mai smiled a small smile, one Natsuki knew to be about as flimsy as tissue paper and extended her hand. "Pleased to meet you, Tokiha Mai."

"Kuga Natsuki. You're the only one here with the same name, you know. And in the right order." Mai was examining her closely and with an intensity that made her slightly uncomfortable.

"You're an Otome too, then?" she asked spying the GEM, more for something to talk about than anything else.

"The Fire Stirring Ruby, that's me," she said. "So, you're like Mikoto, then? You can Materialise without a GEM?"

"Something like that," Natsuki muttered. Shizuru approached the small group and nodded politely at Mai and Mikoto in greeting. "Mai-san, Mikoto-san. It's good to see you again. I'd invite you to stay, but I'm afraid that Kuga-san has colonised the guest room. I'll have one of the Academy guest rooms made up, if you don't mind."

Mai nodded in thanks. "That'll be great. I haven't been in Garderobe in a long time. I can show you all the places I've told you about, Mikoto."

"Hmm, sounds good," Mikoto grinned. Silence fell on the small group and Natsuki noticed some kind of tension between Shizuru and Mai. She was trying to come up with inventive ways to alleviate it when Nao approached them.

"Mashiro-sama's offered to treat us all to a meal in her private dining room, a bit of a farewell party. She says it won't be anything too fancy, on account of the Summit in the morning and everything else."

"Sounds great!" Mikoto chirped. She offered her elbow to Mai and headed out after the small group. As they neared the door, Mikoto paused and stood up on her toes, whispering something in Mai's ear and kissing her quickly on the cheek. Mai brightened considerably and smiled brilliantly at her shorter companion.

Natsuki stood staring after the pair of them. Shizuru regarded her with quizzical and gently amused eyes. "Ara, Kuga-san, surely there can't be a world where Mikoto doesn't love her Mai, and vice versa, not even yours."

Natsuki opened and closed her mouth a few times, blushing. "I wouldn't call it love. They're just good friends."

"Good friends," Shizuru echoed, placing her hand in the small of Natsuki's back and causing the young woman to jump at the contact. "Ara, don't tell me you're jealous?"

"Jealous?! Jealous of what, exactly?" she asked in genuine bafflement. Shizuru smiled a very familiar (and infuriating) smile down at her and she found herself caught in gentle eyes. She was still for a moment before she smiled a fond smile, the blush still tingeing her cheeks.

"You really don't ever change, not really, do you?"

Shizuru allowed herself a moment to enjoy the warmth of Natsuki's smile and rubbed her back lightly. She was so terribly similar to her own Kruger, really. Memories of nervous moments like this, exhilarating moments from when after Natsuki had graduated Garderobe and taken up her studies to succeed the previous Gakuenchou in earnest. Natsuki, lost in the honest affection laid bare in Shizuru's expression, could not tear her eyes away. By now, she was certain that Kruger and Shizuru were not just room mates but lovers as well. She briefly wondered if Viola was going to kiss her and if so, what she'd do.

_Probably kiss her back_, some small part of her whispered.

"Oi, you two lovebirds, hurry it up!" Nao called, sticking her grinning red head around the door frame. Natsuki hopped back and coughed into her fist, blushing furiously. Nao shook her head in amusement and waited for her to leave before lifting an eyebrow at Shizuru.

"Wouldn't Kruger be annoyed if you traded her in for a younger model?"

Shizuru brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and breezed past Nao. "I'm sure she'd be able to find someone to keep her occupied, Juliet."

* * *

"Suzushiro-san, did you get enough to eat?" Yukino asked as they made their way back to their room, escorted by Major Hallard.

"Plenty, thanks. It was pretty good too, for foreign food."

Yukino turned and smiled at Chie, who winked back. As they reached the president's quarters, Chie wished them good night and stayed to supervise the changing of the guard and to debrief the two sergeants.

Once inside, Yukino sighed in exhaustion and took her jacket off, hanging it on a coat hanger and leaving it hear the door. Haruka wandered over to the window and tugged the curtain aside, looking out over Wind City and apparently lost in thought.

"It's weird, you know. If anyone said to me that one of us, me and Yukino, was going to be president of anywhere, I definitely would have said it was going to be me, you know." Yukino paused and looked over at the young woman, waiting for her to continue.

"Not because she's not smart or not because she wouldn't make a good leader, though. I reckon sometimes if it hadn't been for her, I would have messed up so many times..."

Haruka turned and smiled at Yukino. "It's weird, you know. You're so old here, but you're so similar to her."

"I'm not that old. I'm not even forty yet," the president replied with a small smile, settling into one of the comfortable arm chairs beside the fire and indicating to Haruka that she should find herself a seat too.

"Well, that's still twice as old as me, more even," Haruka said, flopping into the chair and sitting with her legs crossed. "How old is this General Archimage, then?"

"Thirty one."

"That's ancient! My God, I'll get that old someday?"

Yukino smiled fondly. "I do hope so, Suzushiro-san."

"Eh, call me Haruka. It's weird to hear you call me that."

The fire crackled and popped in the grate, warming them gently. Haruka lost herself in the flames for a moment before glancing over at Yukino.

"How did we meet, then? Was I just appointed to be your Otome? Back home, we've known each other since we were babies. And I'm older than you."

Yukino took her glasses off and reached for a lens cloth to polish them, smiling fondly.

"The university in Wind City is famous all through the world. People flock to it in the same way they flock to Garderobe. Back when I attended was a considerably turbulent time. There had been an attack on the Palace here in Windbloom at the beginning of my first year and there was a great deal of civil unrest in Aries, our home country."

"I was reading history and I joined a number of political groups. It looked like there might be war for a while, but we protested and the governments actually listened. I took a group of about six hundred students and academics to Aries and it really swayed public opinion. Haruka-chan enrolled in Garderobe at the start of my third year and she made a point of seeking me out. She said that if more people took matters into their own houses that it'd mean a better world," she said, clearly enjoying the memory.

Haruka leaned back into the chair, also enjoying the story. "So, she decided to become your Otome, then?"

Yukino laughed. "She did! She even sneaked out of school to come with me on demonstrations in case I'd get hurt. This was despite the fact that she couldn't Materialise her Robe without permission, of course. I stayed on for a fourth year and we graduated at around the same time. She went to continue her military training and I went around and somehow became a politician."

Haruka laughed. "Somehow?"

"It was never my intention. It was just clear that so many mistakes had been made in the past and the whole world was in danger of repeating them. Eight years ago, there was a scandal in the government and the party I was a member of managed to gain a near majority in parliament. There was a presidential election almost five years ago and I was elected."

"That's a long term," Haruka said, mulling it in her head and comparing it to Japan.

"It's a six year term. To be honest, when you're surrounded by Empires and Monarchies then it doesn't seem very long at all. There was a King of Zipang who ruled for seventy two years."

Haruka nodded and turned back to the fire. "And all that 'This Week's Armitage' stuff is for real? I'm really on TV every week?"

Yukino shook her head and looked quite bemused. "It's one of the most popular shows on ANS. It's turned out to be a big success for national morale. You're a beloved public figure."

Haruka nodded, completely unashamed. "You know, if it wasn't for all the myriad responsibilities back home, I think I'd like it here. It's the right way around."

"The right way?"

Haruka sighed and studied the woman opposite her. It was like she was staring at a Yukino who'd taken every piece of advice she'd ever given to heart. It was a Yukino who'd proven to the world all the things she herself had known about her mousy friend.

"Back home, you were the one with the weird power. I don't know what the hell it was all about, or how it all ended. I don't think I want to." She fiddled with the hem of her skirt and stared at her hands. "I wasn't able to keep you safe. You were the one who had to protect me. You were the one in the shadows too, doing all the work and getting none of the credit. This world's the right way around."

Haruka looked up at Yukino with clear eyes. "I always believed in you. And you always believed in me. It's good to be vindictive," she said and Yukino smiled widely.

"Vindicated, Haruka-san. You're still young, both you and the Yukino there. There's plenty of time to bloom."

Haruka smiled and blushed slightly, letting out a small sigh. "Bedtime, President Yukino."

"Goodnight, Haruka-san."

* * *

Natsuki, Shizuru, Mai and Mikoto waved to Nao as she wandered down a side street at the university and continued down the familiar path to Garderobe, quiet in the warm night air. The dinner had been a restrained through cheerful affair. Mai and Mikoto strolled beside them maintaining a constant stream of chatter. Mikoto's staff (which seemed as ubiquitous as Miroku, Natsuki noted) clattered softly on the cobbles, jingling in the night air.

"Mai-san," Shizuru said, slowing as they passed a tall building, "do you remember when you and Natsuki sneaked out of the dorms to jump across the gap between the Central Library and the Frasier Building?"

Mai laughed and shook her short hair. "Yeah, I do. We'd overheard Haruka-san telling you about it and how shocked and disgusted she was that students from the university would risk life and limb just to look big and clever in front of their friends."

"The University was a pretty bad influence, all told," Shizuru mused. "But both of us were worried that we'd be blamed for such silly antics amongst the Corals and set out to stop you alone. Miss Maria wouldn't have been too pleased, if she'd found out about it."

"I'm still amazed we got away with it."

"We didn't, not really. Gakuenchou Donnell knew all about it."

Mai blinked owlishly. "Oh. Right."

Shizuru chuckled and shrugged. "It was one of the things she used to tease Natsuki about when she was training to take over the position."

Kuga Natsuki had been listening intently and staring at the pair. She was slightly relieved that Mai was here, if she were honest with herself. She wasn't the kind of girl to concern herself with other people's problems, but she honestly wanted to see Mai happy. She didn't want to see her forcing a smile or denying her well deserved moments of selfishness.

Eventually, they arrived back at Garderobe. Mai and Mikoto wandered in the general direction of the guest quarters. What would the student Otome do if they knew there was a living legend (and her girlfriend) sharing their roof?

Shizuru let them into the dark house, flicking on a lamp as she went. She lifted a small note off the back of the door and nodded. "The palace laundry delivered your uniform, let me go fetch it."

Natsuki nodded and headed into the guest room, taking her coat off and laying it over the back of the chair. She petted it somewhat regretfully. She'd have to work for the rest of her natural life to afford something so nice. Shizuru knocked and entered with a package, handing it to Natsuki.

"They usually do a good job. Sleep well, Kuga-san. I'll wake you in the morning."

"Thank you, Shizuru." Natsuki placed the package on her bed and shut her eyes, taking a breath. "Shizuru?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for everything. You've treated me really well since I got here. It's been kinda nice." She paused and turned to face the older woman, her hand on the door knob. "It's good to know that the HiME aren't some complete freak show, you know. It's also good to know that there's not much chance of us having to deal with anything like the Otome system. Mai saw to that," she said softly, almost to herself.

Shizuru smiled a familiar smile and there was an abundance of gentle affection in her eyes. Natsuki smiled back, almost despite herself and opened her mouth to wish her good night. Perhaps it was just Shizuru's effect on her that her plan went awry.

"I hope you get your Natsuki back, safe and sound."

Shizuru's smile faded into a melancholic, wistful expression. "I certainly hope so too."

"Here, you're close, right?" the brunette asked in a quiet voice. The journey home in the morning weighed heavily on her mind. She was not enthusiastic about returning to her own train wreck of a life, but she honestly wanted this Shizuru, who was so kind and wise, to have her own Natsuki back.

"We're close? We'll have been living together for ten years this winter," Shizuru said quietly, pausing on her way to the door. "Are you close to Shizuru in your world?"

Natsuki chuckled. "She's the most important person in my life. But close? I barely know anything about her."

Shizuru sighed. "You're afraid of her?" and she knew by the tension in Natsuki's expression that she was. "I won't ask why. It's none of my business. But if she feels for you like I feel for-"

"That's exactly the problem!" Natsuki bit out in frustration. "She feels so strongly for me and I just don't know if I want her to. I know I can't stop her, but sometimes I wish she didn't love me."

"Love can be terrifying."

"It's just that it seems like I'm leading her on. And that isn't fair. I do love her," she said, somewhat petulantly.

Shizuru took a seat on the mattress beside Natsuki and took her hand, ignoring the stab of pain she felt at Natsuki's flinch. "It's not everyday that two people love each other in exactly the same way, you know. Especially not when you're so young. It took me many years before I was convinced that Natsuki wasn't waiting for her first love to reappear. I looked over my shoulder for so long, expecting to see her arrive back and sweep Natsuki off her feet."

Kuga's eyes widened at the implications. Not just Shizuru but another woman as well?

The Column cleared her throat. "But I loved Natsuki, and I knew that she loved me, and we made each other happy. We still do; with all our hearts. And you're so much like her when she was young. If you can make each other happy, you should."

"It's hard," Natsuki said, rubbing the back of Shizuru's hand with her thumb. "Things happened in the past and even though it all seems like a bad dream right now those memories are so strong."

"What happened?" Shizuru asked, almost dreading the answer. If Haruka's reaction days earlier was anything to go by, it hadn't been anything good.

"I killed her. We killed each other," she said quietly. "In that damn Carnival."

Shizuru took a deep breath and turned to face Natsuki, shocked and feeling slightly queasy. The young woman looked up and her and Shizuru was surprised to see tears pooling in her eyes.

"It's not fair. I can see it in your face but I can't see it in hers. I never know what she's thinking."

Shizuru stared down at the younger woman, hit by a wave of unwanted memory. She closed her eyes and squeezed Natsuki's hand.

"Natsuki said that to me once before, you know. 'I don't know what she's thinking'. And I told her to not hold back, to tell the truth about what she felt, because life is short."

"Did she?"

"She did. And she got her heart broken, I'm sorry to say."

Natsuki shook her head, slightly embarrassed to be hearing about her counter part's love life. Shizuru wrapped an arm around the young woman's shoulders and pulled her into a one-armed embrace. Natsuki rested her head against Shizuru and sighed. The urgency and desperation that she often felt when her own Fujino did such a thing was absent. It felt comfortable and familiar, as if they'd done it a million times before.

Which, she supposed, was partly true.

"If it helps, Kuga-san, the Shizuru you know is probably terrified too. If she loves you then she won't want to loose you. Do you both want the same thing?"

"I have no idea," Natsuki said quietly. "What do people in love want from each other?"

"Ara, it changes from person to person, doesn't it? It's up to you to decide. Anyone else's opinion can't be taken too seriously, not even mine. Especially not mine."

Natsuki sighed and stared blankly at the far wall. "I suppose not."

"And give it some time, Kuga-san. You're both still so young."

She nodded her dark head and seemed to remember where she was. A slight shift in her shoulders was all it took for Shizuru to lift her arm and she blinked in wonder. These Otome weren't telepathic, were they?

Shizuru bid her good night and left her alone in he quiet room. She changed into her pyjamas and made her way through the curtains and out onto the balcony. The night wind was nippy, but not unpleasant, and while the guest suite did not command the same stunning view as the rest of the Principal's quarters, it was still beautiful.

Her shoulders tingled where Shizuru's am had been and she laid her hand where Shizuru had, amazed that the ghost of warmth remained. If she took a chance with her own Shizuru, would they find themselves in this kind of a future? Would they be so settled and content together?

Would they last ten days, never mind ten years? Would every nuance be transparent? Would the easy intimacy she'd been freely offered moments ago be commonplace? Would the desire that had driven Shizuru inwards and twisted her mind with guilt stand blocking simple affection and trust?

She puffed her cheeks out in frustration and stalked back inside. Her mind was still reeling from the events of the day and the memories she'd had to dredge up. As dreamlike and ephemeral as they seemed, as much as she wanted them not to be real, she couldn't deny them.

Damn them here; them and this world. Damn them for giving her a glimpse of life without the pain of the Carnival hanging between them. She sighed and made for bed, curling up under the unfamiliar sheets in misery.

* * *

Mashiro and Arika, along with President Chrysant and Chie, had met the travellers bright and early for coffee and farewells.

"I hope everything goes well later," Mashiro said. "You two are lovely and all, but I seriously just want to get Kruger and Armitage back and stop this Harmonium. It's just too dangerous having it around."

"I agree," Haruka sniffed, apparently well rested and not at all worried about the journey back. "Nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live here."

Yukino smiled indulgently and shook her head. "It was an interesting experience to meet you, Haruka-san. I'll remember it for a long time to come."

Haruka nodded. "Well, keep that Mister Armitage in line, you hear? I'm still not sure that you're being strict enough." Haruka folded her arms over her chest and looked around at the others. "Good luck with all this. It's a mess."

Mashiro glowered but bid a civil good-bye. As the leaders left, Haruka's eyes met Yukino's and she was surprised when Yukino winked at her. The president paused and extended her hand. Haruka then surprised them both by embracing the other woman gently. She drew back and looked her in the eye, not noticing the small lines around the woman's eyes and mouth or her perpetually messy hair (which annoyed the bejeesus out of her, all told). Her friend's soft eyes were slightly teary and she choked back a lump in her own throat.

"Seriously, look after Mars, President Chrysant."

With that, the delegation left. Nao leaned over to Natsuki and bumped her with her shoulder. "Almost perfect, eh?"

Natsuki rolled her eyes and sighed. "So what do we do for the next two hours, then?"

"Get down to the Harmonium and wait, that's what," Youko said. "Grab the rest of the coffee, it's freezing down there."

* * *

"The peak's coming. Four minutes," Irina said, the light from her console reflected on her glasses.

Mikoto frowned and growled. "I can hear it. It's still there. It's just beyond where we can see."

Mai draped her arms around the front of Mikoto's shoulders and pulled her into a hug, kissing the top of her head. Haruka regarded the interaction with narrowed eyes and turned to Shizuru.

"You're not contagious, are you?"

"Ara, me?" Shizuru asked with a laugh. "It's a good thing you didn't meet Sarah Gallagher, Suzushiro-san."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she demanded.

"She's a really pretty blonde," Nao said, a wide grin on her face, "and she's been trying to tear Armitage away from Chrysant for years."

"Two minutes!" Youko shouted. "Get onto those steps you two!"

Natsuki started forward, receiving a pat on the back from Nao on the way. She drew level with Shizuru and tried to think of something to say. Shizuru stepped forward and embraced her tightly, burying her face in her neck and kissing her once, quickly, fleetingly. "She loves you, Natsuki. If she's me, she loves you."

She lifted her face, mind swimming with her first and last kiss. Shizuru's scent and taste filled her mind and all she could think about were the gentle eyes above her. A rough hand grabbed her elbow, shouting something about a bubuzuke pervert and she stumbled backwards, her ears roaring with blood and her eyes fixed and teary.

Heat surrounded her and she tried to throw her arms in front of her face, failing. She wondered briefly if she'd been blinded; if the entire thing had been a failure and she was dead.

She blinked once, and again. The bright sunlight around her seemed too glaring and too intrusive after the gloom of the crypt beneath the palace. Blobs quickly resolved themselves into the shapes of her friends and she sighed in shock. Had she left at all? Had Windbloom just been a dream?

She turned to one side and noticed Shizuru shooting her a quizzical look. It was her Shizuru! The Shizuru that she'd known for years; the one who wasn't an Otome or thirty! She rubbed her eyes to clear her vision and sighed a long, rattling sigh. It had worked. She was home. Shizuru noticed this strange activity and raised an eyebrow in question.

She never missed a beat, did she? Natsuki smile fondly and wistfully, seeing for the first time the hint of grief and guilt behind the slight smile. It had always been there for her to see and she felt ashamed to have been so wilfully ignorant. When had she actually last looked at properly at Shizuru?

"Are you all right, Natsuki?" she asked in a cheerful voice. She tried to fight a smile at that. No one said her name quite like Shizuru did. No one paid more attention to her, she realised, because there was no one in the entire world who wanted her own attention as much as Shizuru did. She smiled and shook her head, blushing slightly. The memory of Windbloom was fading fast and she tried briefly to juxtapose the image of the woman in front of her with that of Shizuru Viola. There were many more similarities than differences.

"Natsuki, you don't have sun stroke, do you?" Shizuru asked, placing a cool hand on her forehead. If pressed, the Kyoto woman would have admitted a desire to use her own forehead, but thought it better not to push her luck in public. She smiled in delight at the blush that spread over Natsuki's cheeks and couldn't resist wrapping her arms around her neck, earning some rolled eyes and tolerant chuckles from their friends in the process.

Natsuki closed her eyes against the memory of being held tightly by Shizuru Viola moments before Haruka had grabbed her and dragged her to the remains of the harmonium. As clingy as this Shizuru was wont to be, there was none of the comfort that had been present with her older counterpart.

_She's waiting for me to push her away, isn't she?_

Ten years and counting?

She snorted and pulled Shizuru's elbow sharply, tugging the usually elegant woman off balance but closer to Natsuki's side. She wrapped an arm around the back of her waist and turned to face her, enjoying the surprised expression Shizuru wore. Her other hand stayed on her elbow and for a split second, she felt Shizuru relax against her, all tension gone.

They smiled brilliantly (Chie would later call if goofily) at each other for a moment until Shizuru laughed.

"Ara, Natsuki's finally getting the idea!"

* * *

_Epilogue or Imagine The Seiyuus Doing This_

"And she was me, only much younger?"

"Yes. Much younger."

"Hmm. How much younger?

"Young enough to be your daughter."

"Shizuru!"

"Ara, Natsuki, don't be annoyed. She was young enough to be my secret, adulterous lover."

"Oh hah hah, Shizuru."

...

"Seriously?"

...

"Shizuru!?"

"Ah, she was even more energetic than that, Natsuki!"

"Shizuru, God damn it! I can't believe it."

"You would have done the same thing, Natsuki."

"No I wouldn't have."

...

"If she's anything like you, I wouldn't have had a choice in the matter, would I? She'd just turn those big eyes on me and bam!"

"Bam?"

"Bam! Bed."

"Ah, I see."

"Seriously though. Did you?"

"Of course. I've got the hickeys to prove it."

"That's not a hickey!"

"Ara? What is that, then?"

...

"Natsuki?"

"It's your chest, Shizuru."

"That's it proved then."

"You can't use your chest to prove something!"

...

"Shizuru?"

"Do you want to bet on that?"


	2. Shizuru's trip

Please see part chapter one for disclaimer.

??

_The pomp and ceremony of royal events must be taken in stride with decorum and poise. The competent Otome will balance the requirements of constant vigilance with maintaining the semblance of privacy so often essential for delicate conversations. One's Master must be within sight and hearing, but not stared at and it is essential that at atmosphere conducive to discourse is maintained._

_The competent Otome should consume and imbibe in moderation, be complimentary to the host but not effusive in one's praise. The competent Otome will be well-versed in current affairs and the history of her Master, his house and his kingdom._

_Above all, however, the Otome will conduct herself with equanimity and composure when dealing with other Otome, whatever the circumstances._

_Wolfgang von den Gruben, 247. Otome Etiquette, Fifth Edition. Chapter XII, pp. 645. Florence Royal Press._

??

"Announcing his highness, King Krau-Xeku of Cardair and his Otome, Akane Soir."

"Welcome, King Krau-Xeku, we're delighted to be able to have you here," Queen Mashiro Blan de Windbloom said, standing and shaking Kazu's hand. Arika smiled widely at Akane, who waved back.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Queen Mashiro, we're delighted to be able to attend this celebration," Kazu said, smiling widely. The Cardair entourage stood waiting in line behind them and the young King introduced each in turn. Mashiro made her way down the line, patiently shaking every hand. Arika and Akane hung back at a discreet distance, talking quietly to one another.

"It's good to see you again, Akane-onee-sama. How's Cardair?"

Akane shrugged and smiled wryly at the younger Otome. "It's fine there. Busy, very busy. After everything that happened with the last King, Kazu-kun has been trying to rebuild people's confidence in the government. I hear Queen Mashiro is doing the same."

Arika nodded proudly. "The first elections will take place in a few months time. It's good to see you, though. All four of the Trias are going to be here for the TDP Launch Ceremony."

Akane tried her best to keep a neutral expression but it was quite difficult, all told. "Florence's delegation arrives tomorrow morning, right?"

"Yup. Everyone will, apart from Aries and Zipang."

"I was surprised to hear that Zipang had agreed to take part, to be honest."

Arika shrugged. "I think Mai-san talked Takumi-san into it, to be honest, and he managed to convince their father."

"And Nao-san is still in Windbloom, isn't she?"

"She's attending the University. I think she likes it. She'll be around later tonight, nearly all of the Columns are going to be at the soiree."

Akane sighed. Joy.

??

Nao stood in a corner, sipping her drink and idly listening to Shizuru and Natsuki speak to the Romulan ambassador. She wasn't too fond of socialising with the cream of society; they tended to be quite inbred. She wondered if her family would take her up on her invitation to visit at some time in the near future and decided that one of the bigger balls, one that was open to the public, would be more their style.

She was drawn out of her reverie when her eyes landed on Akane, standing picking dainty morsels off the buffet table, one eye on Kazu the entire time. The handsome young man was talking to Youko and one of the scientists that had accompanied him. A wide grin spread across her face and she made her way through the crowd.

"Akane, good to see you," she said as she approached. Akane smiled wryly and nodded at her.

"Good to see you too, Nao-san. College is going well?"

"Very well." Her smile turned slightly wolfish. "Still an Otome?"

Akane glared at her, annoyed despite the fact that she'd expected this from her former class mate. "It's my sacred duty to protect and serve my Master."

Nao stared at the young woman, not saying anything. Akane blushed softly under the scrutiny.

"It's an honour to be an Otome for someone you love."

Nao crossed her arms and tipped her head to one side.

"Let me guess; Maya has you wearing a chastity belt," she said.

Akane blushed beet red. "Kazu-kun, actually."

Nao's mouth fell open and she flicked her gaze to the king. His jacket was tailored slightly longer than she remembered, but she couldn't see any obvious evidence. "You're joking. When did you grow a sense of humour?"

Akane glared and stood with her hands balled into fists on her side. "I'm not joking. Maya-onee-sama told us that if he didn't, she was going to castrate him."

Nao frowned. "How the hell does that work, anyway?"

Akane rolled her eyes. "After he'd produced an heir, obviously," she muttered.

"No, the chastity belt?" Nao asked, pondering the logistics. She'd seen some pretty sleazy things in some sleazy parts of the world, but she'd never encountered anything like that.

"Don't ask. He hates it, but he puts up with it. He says it's better than me being sent to another master."

"Or him being castrated."

"That too."

??

Haruka yawned widely and glanced over at Yukino, who coughed into her fist in embarrassment.

"Haruka-chan, it's not that boring."

"Of course not. It's just been a long day," she muttered. "That new camera crew is rubbish. What happened to the last one?" She'd spent the day being tailed for This Week's Armitage by a group of rank amateurs. How were the public to know how she'd accomplished the difficult task of selecting her outfit for the following night's ball?

Yukino cast her eyes around for someone else to talk to and spotted Shizuru. She didn't have the heart to tell Haruka that her old camera crew had decided that Major Hallard's journey through the desert from Lutesia Remus had more potential for gripping entertainment.

"Ah, Haruka-chan, come on," she said, gently taking her elbow. Haruka nodded and glanced over her shoulder, just in case the crew had managed to sneak past the security staff.

"Shizuru-san, Natsuki-san," Yukino said, smiling widely.

"Ah, Madame President," Natsuki said, sketching a quick bow. "We were about to go over and say hello."

Shizuru greeted Haruka warmly and enquired after her health while the other two women drew closer to lower the risk of eavesdroppers.

"Thank you, Natsuki-san. Garderobe is well?"

"As well as it ever is," Natsuki muttered wryly. "I wonder why I do it to myself, sometimes."

Yukino thanked a passing waiter as he distributed flutes of champagne to the group. "I've heard that the position of Garderobe will be highly placed on tomorrows agenda," she said, a slight frown on her elfin features. "That will mean even more work for you."

Natsuki nodded slowly. "We're thinking of asking Maya and Sarah to return for the next few months. Also, I must ask if you have any plans to entice Irina back to Aries?" she asked, peering over the edge of her glass.

Yukino shook her head, amused at the worried expression on Natsuki's face. "Woods-san was provided with a philanthropic academic scholarship. She isn't under any obligation to return to Aries if she doesn't want to."

Natsuki breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank the founder. She's taking on a good few tutorial groups. I think that a complete revision of the curriculum might be in order. We might even suspend matriculation for a year."

Shizuru nodded at Natsuki before turning to Yukino. "I do believe that Irina-chan was sponsored by the Presidential fund; it's not without precedent to request her skills."

Yukino nodded graciously. "Well, then, I'll ask her if she'd like to work with the Aries delegation, if it doesn't interfere with her studies with Director Helene. I've heard that the pair of them have been experimenting with new GEM matrices."

"They have," Natsuki confirmed. "These GEMs are faster to produce and have quite different properties. Irina's using one at the moment, with the same certification protocol as the rest of the teaching staff."

Haruka shrugged and waylaid a waiter with a tray filled with canapés. Such practices were not unknown. "What about this Harmonium business," she asked quietly, peering around for eavesdroppers.

Natsuki frowned and looked at the other woman, not apparently best pleased. "I think that the TDP will fall apart if the committee are forbidden access to it."

"We can't have any more little accidents like ours, Kruger," Haruka said. she was still miffed that she'd lost three days of her life to the damn thing. She'd been especially disappointed that she hadn't been able to attend the debates regarding the structure of the Windbloom Parliament and the Constitution. She enjoyed flexing her diplomatic muscle from time to time.

"We can't," Yukino agreed, "but we need to be careful. There's no telling how it's connected to that other world.Has Helene-sensei had any ideas about what to do next?"

"Yes, actually," Natsuki said, frowning deeply. "She wants to send someone else."

??

The next morning dawned bright and warm, perfect weather for showcasing the many splendours of Wind City. The international delegations arrived early in the day, several having shared transportation. After a chance to change their clothes and refresh themselves, they made their way to the same conference room that had seen the Parliamentary Reorganisation Summits.

Mashiro was beginning to detest the room, truth be told.

The proceedings of such a conference are generally not very interesting to the non-specialist, truth be told. They can even be quite tedious to people directly affected by them. However, after the seemingly interminable opening remarks, those assembled settled down to business, some quite interesting points were made.

"We believe that for too long Otome, who serve a unique and irreplaceable role in society, have been forced to give up too much. By receiving the nanomachines, they are destined to abandon not only any natural maternal yearnings they might feel, but they also selflessly write themselves out of the world of adult sexuality. We see this as unfair and too great a sacrifice." The young King of Cardair said, hoping that his voice wasn't shaking. No one had told him how nerve wracking it was, standing before an assembly of bored royalty.

"We believe that this system also allows a certain degree of exploitation to creep in. It places a woman's biological autonomy under the control of a person she is, by oath, required to obey absolutely. It is a fact that Otome make the commitment to undertake this burden when they are little more than girls and perhaps unaware of the long term possible consequences of their actions.

"Where a person is not in control of their body, on pain of expulsion from their job or due to fear of disappointing the sponsors of their expensive and lengthy education, there is a fundamental lack of human freedom. Women trade away their right to physical affection with men and raising a family. I would never wish it to be thought that I believe that a woman may only seek physical affection from a man or that every woman is destined to have children but I believe that she must always have a choice. As a human being."

Nao leaned over to Natsuki, who was looking dubious, and scoffed. "Methinks that King Kazu speaks using the Royal We, no?"

Shizuru smiled from over Natsuki's shoulder, terribly amused by the situation.

"Therefore, our modest proposal is that time and expertise be given to addressing the problem of lifting the Type VI restriction and of freeing the Otome from this insidious cult of enforced virginity," the King said. He sat beside Akane, who was blushing slightly, and cleared his throat.

"Well?" Mashiro asked, not terribly delighted at having to chair the proceedings. "Does anyone have anything else to add?"

"I think that there's merit in the suggestion," Yukino said, leaning her elbows on the table. "Apart from what King Kazu has mentioned, there are consistent, though thankfully limited, reports of cases where girls have been assaulted to 'remove their qualification', so to speak. If the Type VI restriction was removed then this abhorrent practice would cease."

"I don't see the point," the King of Florence muttered, glaring at Kazu. "Surely it's ridiculous to expect us to spend time and money on providing you with a chance to get into your Otome's drawers. Show a bit of self-restraint, boy."

Kazu flushed hotly. "This has nothing to do with that!" he said angrily. Everyone around the table managed to convey their dubiousness to the young king and he looked at the table, blushing a bright scarlet. Akane mirrored his pose and hue beside him and the contingent from Cardair University College tried to keep their dignity intact.

Mashiro sighed and rolled her eyes. Youko shot a wry glance over at Midori and shrugged. "It should be noted that although valid points have been made, we've all seen what the consequences can be when parturiency and Otome mix. It could mean an increase in the numbers of founders."

"Thus breaking Garderobe's monopoly," Midori said quietly. "But it's no way for a person to be treated." She glanced over at Arika and noticed that she was paying the desk below her untoward attention. "I suppose the question is, if people are concerned with how Otome are forced to give up their own corporeal autonomy when they're alive, what about when they're dead?"

"They'd be worth more dead than alive," the Queen of Remus commented dryly, eyeing Laura speculatively. Then tall Otome resisted the urge to squirm in her seat.

"We really don't want to foster that kind of attitude," Natsuki said, firmly.

"A compromise, then?" Takumi piped up. All eyes turned to the frail Zipang prince. "Why not try and increase the age that girls take in the nanomachines? What if they were brought into Garderobe, or any other schools that might open, for a year before? They could learn the skills that don't require a robe, and see if they're suited to the position."

Natsuki nodded slowly. "Have the Coral GEM given out at the start of the second year, then? And the Pearl at the start of the third? It would mean that most Otome would be eighteen or more, considering that many Pearl Otome will remain in Garderobe for up to eighteen months."

"I don't think that's a problem," Takumi said. "It's the age of legal consent in most countries, isn't it? Maybe there should be a lower age limit on Meister Otome, too."

"It's something that we should consider," Mashiro agreed. "If this technology is going to benefit everyone, then people should be able to make informed decisions about what they're getting themselves, and their masters, into."

"Here, here," Nguyen said, smiling at his daughter.

"You would say that," the King of Romulus said, wryly, "Ahn-san is older than myself, is she not."

"Ah, your Majesty," Ahn said with a small smile, "you should know better than to pass remarks on a woman's age."

Midori clucked her tongue and leaned back in her seat. "I think that this is something for the law makers and the philosophers. I'd like to ask about the Black Valley or Nekogami Mountain, as it's now known."

Mikoto sat up straighter and nodded. "There's lots to see there. Old ruins, back from the Twelve Kingdom War, with equipment and documents. The Black Valley used to be the home of some of the best scientists in the world," she continued. "I think that your Project should include a field trip."

Mai nodded. "They ruins are in good condition, but there's no electrical supply that far into the hill. The good news is, though, that the reconstruction we've had to undertake after Yuna is progressing well. If the people of Aswald still want to, there's more than enough room for them to start moving in. I mean, it was just myself and Mikoto for so long, it'll be nice to have company."

"Isn't the Black Valley cursed?" Charles of Florence asked.

"Oh, don't be so superstitious," the King of Romulus scoffed. "Princess Mai and Lady Mikoto hardly seem to be under a curse."

Mikoto nodded. "It's a good place." Mashiro smothered a smile as she met Arika's eyes briefly. Both of them tended to spend quite a bit of their free time in Mai's ramen shop.

"We should leave it up to the TDP Board to decide who goes," Kazu said, finally feeling confident enough to open his mouth again. "They'll know which members of the project will be best suited to go."

The delegates nodded and Mashiro was about to raise the next item on the agenda when the Palace clock chimed the hour.

"Ah, it's six o'clock." Mashiro said. "This seems like a sensible place to stop. We'll continue tomorrow afternoon. I'd like to remind everyone that they're cordially invited to tonight's royal ball."

"Mm, thank heavens that's over," Nguyen muttered as he stood up. "These old bones get so stiff, these days."

The King of Florence opened his mouth, looking all the world like he was about to say something particularly snide when Shiho stood on his foot. He glared at the diminutive Otome and once again, cursed Krau-Xeku.

??

"Well, that was certainly unusual," Natsuki muttered as she made her way back to Garderobe with Shizuru, Youko, Mai and Mikoto. Irina navigated through the heavy traffic, muttering in annoyance at the congested roads.

"It seems that our Analytical Doped Silicon is getting frustrated," Shizuru noted, smiling fondly.

"This traffic is pretty heavy," Mai said. She turned back to Natsuki and nodded. "But you're right, it was odd there today. There's a lot of very young people there, with radical ideas."

"It'd be great if they weren't going head to head with stubborn traditionalists," Youko said. "But Midori and Aswald are being more co-operative than I thought they would be. It seems that Mashiro's time amongst them paid off."

Natsuki nodded. "She certainly knows how to speak to them. It's good to see."

They pulled into the long driveway of Garderobe, watching the gardens sweep by. Natsuki was pleased to see that Nao and the other Columns had kept up. "I swear, I can't wait to get changed again," she muttered, fiddling with her blue dress.

"Ara, Natsuki, we'll have to get you all dressed up for the ball," Shizuru cooed.

Natsuki let herself out and held the door for the others, sharing a worried glance with Mikoto. "It's going to be a long night, I think."

"Onee-san!"

"Ara, I think it just got longer, Natsuki."

??

Natsuki was gripping a strong whiskey, taking liberal swallows as often as she could stand to. Shizuru was distributing drinks to her family and Mai was chatting amiably to her mother.

"So, Natsuki, I'm impressed by this place," her oldest sister said, gliding over to her. Chiaki Kruger towered over her, elegant in her dark suit. The heir to Kruger County lifted her glass in a small salute to her little sister.

"Thanks. Why are you all here?" she asked through gritted teeth. The room was filled with her family and she wasn't best pleased about it. On some level, she'd realised that while nearly every highly stationed noble family in the world had been invited to this shindig, she hadn't expected her entire family to make the long voyage.

"Who the hell is minding the manor, anyway?"

"Grandmother. She didn't feel up to the journey."

Natsuki rolled her eyes and sighed. "Aki, whose idea was this?"

"Mother's. She wanted father to take a break from the humdrum of daily life."

"So she brought all of you?" she asked, scowling.

"She thought it would be a good opportunity. We haven't all been together since Hokuto's wedding. She's pregnant again, by the way. They think it might be twins this time."

"Again? She already has two..."

Chiaki laughed. "That's not how it works, little sister. She's only four months along."

Natsuki sighed again and cast despairing eyes around the room. Where was Shizuru, anyway? "I can't believe you managed to find Koda, too. Wasn't she in Upper Cardair, working in a bar?"

"She owns it now, left it with her boyfriend. He's the manager."

"I see."

Chiaki smiled and shook her head. Her long dark hair was tied into a neat ponytail and her sharp gaze flitted around the room.

"I suppose tonight will be a very formal affair?" she muttered.

"Yes. Black tie or military attire, I think."

"Does that mean I'll see you in a Robe, little sister?"

Natsuki rolled her eyes and downed her whiskey, biting the inside of her lip.

??

"Ooh, she's so cute, Hokuto-san. You must be so proud," Mai said, cooing at the toddler on her knee. For some reason she'd never been able to ascertain, children loved her. Some had speculated that it had something to do with her obvious lactational potential. But never to her face.

"Thank you, Mai-san. She'll be turning two in a month. She's such a terror though, so loud! Nothing like her big sister."

Mai nodded and glanced over at the elder Kruger grandchild. The little girl was standing holding Count Kruger's hand and babbling away to Shizuru. Just how loud, exactly, did the baby get? Mikoto was waving a rattle at the baby and cooing.

"Oh, I expect one or other of them will eventually end up here, you know," she said, sighing. "Mummy keeps saying how much like Natsuki our little Sami is. Who knows, maybe she'll be principal here someday?" she said, laughing a tinkling laugh.

Mikoto glanced up at Hokuto, and back down at Baby Charlotte. She tried her best to communicate her condolences.

??

Later, in their en suite, Natsuki leaned back against the tiles in the shower while Shizuru bustled around. The fair woman had sent for the Trias to take her in laws to the guest suites to allow them all a chance to prepare for the ball and Natsuki was pitifully grateful.

"Oh God, why'd they have to come here?" she asked herself. She closed her eyes and let the water sluice over her. An unexpected warmth covered her mouth and she smiled into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Shizuru. She broke away and nibble on Shizuru's neck, earning a heavy sigh.

"Natsuki, you've been in here for ten minutes," she said throatily. "We're going to be late for the ball."

"Oh, they won't miss us," she said, letting her hands slip lower. "We'll say we got food poisoning, or something."

"Hmm, sounds tempting," Shizuru said quietly, kissing Natsuki deeply. They were both used to quickly preparing for formal occasions; they tended to get a lot of practice. They wouldn't be that late, would they?

"Oi, Suki? Are you there?" a voice called out.

The two Columns pulled back, freezing. "Oh please tell me you closed the door, Shizuru," Natsuki said in a low voice.

"Probably," she muttered, turning the shower off. "Thank god."

"I'm coming in, ya brat," the voice said.

Natsuki leapt out of the shower, throwing the door closed behind her and grabbing a towel at the same time.

"Koda! What the hell are you doing in here?" she asked angrily.

"I came over to see if you had dresses that might fit me," she said. "The old hag's having a fit. She thinks that a skirt and blouse aren't appropriate wear to a royal ball."

"They're not, you damn hippy," Natsuki growled. "And I don't have any dresses. Shizuru?" she sent a quick prayer of thanks to the Goddess of Frosted Glass.

"Ara, hello Koda-san. My own gown is laid out on my bed, please choose from any of the spares in the wardrobe. I'm sure Natsuki will help. If you need shoes, they're on the lowest shelf."

"Cheers, Shizuru. Come on, Suki."

"God, have I told you lately what a massive pain you are, Koda?"

"Ah, you still like me better than Hokuto," she said, grabbing her little sister by the elbow. "Get a move on, we've got a party to be at."

??

Natsuki's palms were sweating. She was slightly pale and kept adjusting her collar nervously. Shizuru wanted to smack her for it. "Relax, my family is very fond of you, Natsuki."

"Yes. But they've never met the rest of these deviants," she muttered.

"Ah, Gakuenchou-san!" a voice called. Arika, elegant in a long, simple gown, made her way over to the pair, Mashiro following with one hand in the crook of her Otome's elbow. Natsuki felt the smile plastered on her face begin to crack.

"Ah, Arika-chan, Mashiro-sama," Shizuru said smoothly, "you're both looking fabulous tonight."

"Thank you, Shizuru-onee-sama," Arika grinned widely, spinning in her frock. "It's so pretty!"

Mashiro folded her arms over her chest and sniffed. "We couldn't have you attending a formal ball in your regular clothes, what would the visitors think?"

"Mashiro-chan, I thought you said that most of the visitors were stuck up prigs who wouldn't know a good time if it tried to shove a green onion up their-"

"Ah, mother, father. Mashiro-sama, may I introduce my parents?" Shizuru said, taking the Queen and spinning her to face an older couple. Natsuki had her hand on Arika's upper arm and was giving her a stern talking to about discretion.

"Your Majesty, we are delighted to meet you."

??

Nao and Sarah Gallagher had managed to safely ensconce themselves in a shadowy alcove beside the drinks table. One of the unreported benefits (for very obvious reasons) of the Otome nanomachines was that they aided the majority of women in breaking down alcohol in their body. While it had various levels of effectiveness from person to person, Nao and Sarah had trained their bodies well.

"So, any more about the Harmonium?" Sarah asked, smoothing her dark gown over her legs.

"The TDP is going to be allowed access, though not at the the cycle peaks. I don't know how we're going to keep the whole Uber World a secret, though," Nao said, slightly troubled.

Sarah shrugged. "I don't think it's be a good idea, you know. That thing is just too unpredictable."

"Hmm," Nao hummed, agreeing. "There's going to be a meeting early tomorrow to see if we can hash something out. I think Youko wants to send someone else over."

Sarah blinked. "You're joking. What good would that do?"

Nao shook her head. "Some sort of jargon about how monitoring energy levels during the transfer might show us how to shut the thing down without doing any more damage. Ask Youko." She sighed and sipped her drink, not wanting to dwell on who would be left to go to the other world.

"How was Nekogami Mountain?" she asked, turning to face her companion.

"Interesting. Those Schwartz guys sure are different once you take away their slaves, though. They're just a bunch of hopeless people that listened to the wrong people. There's this one little girl there, she can't be more than five or six," she sighed for a moment, collection herself. "She only had the link with her crystal severed a couple of months ago. Imagine living with that over your head when you're so little?"

Nao shook her head. "I can't imagine. I wonder if Uber World has anything like Slaves. I should have asked."

"Are you tempted to go?" Sarah asked, sipping a glass of champagne, "I mean, Kuga recognised you, right? So you're there?"

"What's the point? Kruger and Armitage both said they don't remember anything apart form extremely brief flashes of the place."

"I see," Sarah said. One of these days, she was going to take Maya's nagging on board and actually read the briefs she was given. "Kuga was fit though, wasn't she?" she asked with a wide grin.

Nao blinked in surprise at the other woman, her eyes flashing behind her glasses. "You must be joking! Kuga?! Look at what she's going to grow up into!" she said pointing her chin across the room at the sweating Gakuenchou.

"What? She'd pretty and she has a nice body. She looks after herself, too but I bet she isn't high maintenance."

Nao's eyebrows were making their way to the back of her head. "Are you joking?"

Sarah looked over at Kruger and then back at Nao. She glanced back at Kruger again before nodding and folding her arms over her chest.

"I am. I could never abandon my pursuit of my darling Haruka-onee-sama to indulge in an affair with Kruger."

Nao narrowed her eyes at the blonde. "Just what is it with you and women in relationships?"

??

"So, Count Kruger," Gakari Viola said, regarding the other man with a certain amount of wariness, "what's Kruger County like at this time of year?"

"Quiet, quiet," Kruger boomed, his barrel chest straining against the dark suit he wore. "Once the boar season ends it's mostly whelping, dontcher know. Terribly messy business. One of our bitches had a litter of nine the other day!"

Chiaki nodded, noticing how suspicious the thin man seemed to be of her father. She rolled her eyes in exasperation. When were urban merchants going to stop regarding the rural upper classes as mindless anachronisms?

"Of course," her father continued, "it's all in the breeding. We had to search high and low for a quality sire for Evangeline Hawthorne Silver Cartridge Thripplecreek. Bally nuisance, all those false goes."

No time soon, apparently, Chiaki decided. She grabbed a glass of red wine as it passed and turned to her brother in law. He was busy juggling his two children on his hips and trying to keep up a conversation with his seated wife at the same time.

She coughed and made her way to the other Viola child.

"Yuri, wasn't it?"

??

Chie and Aoi wandered past a large group of Krugers and Violas and decided to steer clear.

"They're lovely people, really," Aoi said, "I'll introduce you some time."

Chie shrugged and spotted an open door. A sly smile spread across her face as she watched the lacy curtain flap in the wind. She squeezed Aoi's hand and nodded towards it.

"What do you think? Haven't you had enough of making nice to pompous windbags?"

Aoi affected a look of bafflement. "If I'm sick of windbags, then why would I be going anywhere with you?"

Chie managed a pout at that (it was slightly ruined by the continuous twitching of a smile about her lips) and dragged her lover over and out onto the balcony. It would have been much more romantic if it had been dark and empty, but the scattered, squat candles served to soften the gloom, rather than vanquish it. A few other couples were enjoying the night as well, keeping to themselves. They found an empty corner and wandered slowly over, taking in the panorama below them.

"So tell me, you, how was Remus?" Aoi asked, lacing her fingers through Chie's.

"It was all right," she said softly. "A lot of it is classified until it's published by the TDP, to protect sensitive identities."

Aoi nodded and leaned against the balustrade, adjusting her wrap around her shoulders. "So, you're here now, then?"

Chie nodded. "For six full months," she said, a shy smile spreading over her face, chased by a light blush.

"It'd be nice to be able to see each other more regularly, wouldn't it?" she said, slightly hesitantly. "I mean, you know, being in the same city again. I think I'm going to be busy but I'll make time," she said, softly, "if you'd like that."

Aoi nodded and turned fond eyes on Chie. "You need a haircut, you know that? I won't be seen walking the streets of Wind City with someone with a mullet!" She reached up and teased the long strands lying on the back of Chie's neck, flopping over her collar.

"But it looks so good on Gallagher!" Chie protested, trying to sneak a shuddering sigh of relief behind the statement. "I mean, don't you think it would suit me?"

Aoi shook her head and sighed. "What on earth am I going to do with you?"

Chie grinned brightly and reached a hand over Aoi's shoulder, stretching up for a few moments. Aoi blushed at the proximity and wondered who could certify Chie to fly them both to her quarters.

"There," Chie said, presenting her with a small, pink flower, recently plucked from the trellis against the castle wall. "Now, my lady, would you like to dance?"

??

Mikoto and Arika were busy making short work of the buffet table, watched over by a small, incredulous group.

"And you have to live with her and feed her?" Akira asked, narrowing her eyes. "How long does that take, two hours? Three hours?"

Mai shrugged and made a face. "What can I say? I don't want to see what she'd eat if she was allowed to go hungry."

The last time that happened, she mused, the shorter woman had ended up with her damn GEM in her belly.

Mashiro sighed and crossed her arms. "Well, some things never change."

"I'm sure they'll grow out of it," Takumi said, amusement in his gentle eyes. "My father sends his best regards. He would have made the journey himself, but he's getting old. He believes that I should be stepping into my role as his heir before he becomes too feeble to evaluate my progress."

Mashiro nodded, quite glad that Takumi had himself come. He was slightly more open to the idea of Otome technology than most of Zipang was. Although, truth be told, that didn't say very much. "It's an honour to host this ball and the TDP," Mashiro said. "This is only the start."

Akira had her arms folded over her chest and was glaring at anyone who looked her way. She'd not been happy about getting Zipang involved in any of this malarky but she decided to resist another pointless argument with Takumi and wait for the moment when she'd be able to say I told you so. She smiled a small smile and felt a bit better.

"Ah, Mashiro-chan, they have all sorts of weird cheese, you should try some," Arika said, wandering back to the group. Mikoto was still occupied and seemed to be fighting one of the Florentine scientists for the last of the caviar.

Mai spotted Layla and her Master and waved happily, taking Takumi by the hand. "Come on, I'm going to introduce you to Layla-chan. You'll like her brother, too."

Arika shrugged and looked down at Mashiro, noting the tired slump of her shoulders. More groups of people were braving the small stretch of empty parquet to speak with their hostess. Arika laid a friendly hand in the small of her back, causing her to straighten up.

"Don't worry, Mashiro-chan, not much more to go," she murmured. "And you don't have to be up until nine tomorrow, right?"

Mashiro looked up at her Otome, eyes tired and slightly dull (from the sheer tedium of repeating the phrase _and what do you do?_ several dozen times). She blinked and smiled gratefully at her Otome before striding over to the least boring looking group she could manage.

??

"Bally good show, excellent," Count Kruger boomed, putting his booted feet up on his daughter's coffee table. While Hokuto and her brood had fled to bed hours previous, the rest of the Krugers and Violas were still going strong.

Much to Natsuki's annoyance, of course.

"Certainly, certainly," Madame Natasha Viola agreed while sipping a strong port. "Lovely to see them making the effort for the TDP, isn't it?"

Her son nodded enthusiastically. "It'll be very good for all the businesses near the university, if there's a lot of scientists and students arriving."

"Perhaps they'll finally get the sand port back up and running properly," Koda muttered. "It takes days to get anywhere since you have to go through centralised hubs; it's ridiculous."

Chiaki snorted. "Take it up with your local magistrate, Koda, you're not living in Kruger anymore."

"All my babies have flown the nest," Countess Kruger said dolefully, "it's so lonely in that big, empty manor."

Shizuru frowned. "Excuse me, but doesn't Chiaki-san live on the estate?"

Chiaki nodded. "In the gatehouse, three hundred yards from the manor. Apparently it's still too far," she said dryly.

"Well, it's been too long between visits like this," her mother insisted, shooting her first born a dirty look. "We should do it more often."

"Ah, yes, splendid idea," Kruger bellowed. "Koda, are you and that young man of yours going to be, you know, taking the plunge any time soon?"

Koda's face paled and her mouth fell open. She glanced at all the expectant faces, crying for assistance and found none. She caught sight of Natsuki hiding a slightly inebriated smile behind her hand and her green eyes narrowed.

"What about Suki and Shizuru-san? That way, both families would see each other. I know that they're not called marriages, but they amount to the same thing, right?"

It was Natsuki's turn to pale and she was fairly certain she felt the floor pitch beneath her feet. Shizuru, for once, also looked slightly nervous.

"Ara, now Koda-san, don't be silly. Those contracts are purely legal. There's no ceremony attached, so there'd be no party."

"But still, jolly useful," Kruger said, his moustache jiggling as he sipped some whiskey. "With your inheritance, poppet, it's damnably important to make sure that everything's laid out in black and white. We wouldn't want your ruddy cousins getting near the manor, now would we?"

Natsuki, still pale, turned to Shizuru, pleading for help. Shizuru looked over to her own family, who were looking slightly uncomfortable. She sighed. This was their own fault, really.

They should have told them years ago.

"Well, it's not necessary, Kruger-san. Natsuki and I decided to put our names to the proper documents a number of years ago."

There was dead silence. Pins dropping would have woken the dead.

"What," Yuri said, his tall shoulders hunching and relaxing, "you already signed the inheritance forms?"

Shizuru nodded. Her mother frowned and shot her a dark look. "And presumably, the next of kin documentation?" When Shizuru nodded, she threw her hands up in the air. Why, she wondered, were parents always the last to know these things?

Koda, her mouth open and eyes shining in delight let out a whoop of excitement. "So when the hell did that happen, little sister?"

Natsuki swallowed a generous gulp of liquor and glanced at Shizuru in the manner of a school child caught in the act of stealing cookies.

"Um, eight years ago. When we were officially made Columns."

??

_A Long Time Ago, in a Galaxy Far Away..._

The crisp Autumn mornings cast a strange light to the extensive lawns around Garderobe. Each dying blade of grass stood out in the low light, iridescent and still supple. Winter winds would rob them of their moisture and leave them brittle and wilted in a few weeks. Her long, fair hair was uncharacteristically pulled into a low ponytail, though some escaped to hang around her chin.

She thought of what she was about to do and steeled herself against the resurgent doubts that she had spent the past six months trying to assuage. She was ready, she thought, at long last. It was better to serve the people directly, without answering to anyone, than to tend to the whims of one of the few who could afford her services.

Added to that, was the fact that there were very important people to take care of.

The familiar halls were warm and a vague scent of mould and bleach rose to meet her. She sighed; it was always the same when the central heating was first turned on. The murmur of teachers from closed classrooms, occasionally interspersed with a round of bored response from the pupils, made her smile. Even though she'd lived in Windbloom her entire life, attending Garderobe had been like stepping into a whole new world. She'd been very happy here, she would never deny it.

Strolling through her alma mater, she soon reached the large principal's office and knocked. A quiet voice bid her enter and she did so silently. The aged form of Gakuenchou Donnell was hunched over her vast desk, her deep-set eyes dark with humour.

"Meister Viola, you are most welcome."

"Thank you for your invitation, Gakuenchou." As gnarled and scarred as her hands were, there was strength still in them as they shook hands.

"I wish to congratulate your differentiation. Your viva went well?" she asked, motioning for Shizuru to sit.

"I have not differentiated yet; I'm waiting on my mark."

"Wait no more, my friend. You received a first class degree. Congratulations." She paused at the look of shock on Shizuru's face and smiled fondly. "Ah, my dear, don't look so surprised. I told you you'd do well after my little sneak peek, did I not?"

"You told me I could expect a second class degree," Shizuru said reproachfully, studying the slip of paper she'd been given. All her classmates were listed too. She was glad to see no names in the third class. She looked back at her old teacher who smiled a self-satisfied smile. Of course she would have predicted a grade lower.

"I trust you will be attending the Autumn graduation," she asked. Shizuru looked up and folded the results sheet in half. There was more behind this question.

"I have spent long enough away from Garderobe, Gakuenchou, I will be assuming my post as the Third Column now, if the Bewitching Smile Amethyst thinks it is time. I am grateful that the current Columns have been so patient."

Donnell shrugged. "It is a privilege offered all of Garderobe's Columns, the chance to see the world or further their studies before devoting their lives to the academy." She frowned deeply. "I wish someone had made that clearer to young Miss Tokiha before she buggered off."

She shook her head sadly and tipped her head to one side. "As you can see, some of us can be around for an awfully long time. We will contract you immediately after your graduation festivities."

"Thank you," Shizuru said quietly, taking a deep breath. She had known for years that she would not refuse the post offered to her despite the fact that her parents had been distraught; her classmates shocked. A Column owed their allegiance to Garderobe, not to their family or nation. Some had compared Column Otome to investments without appreciation; you put in an awful lot of capital and went through the same rigamarole but received no gain. She would not live the glamorous life that her classmates would, embroiled in court intrigue as they would likely be.

Donnell nodded and stood, gazing out the window. "You will not be alone, my friend. Remember that."

Shizuru nodded slowly and carefully. "Natsuki Kruger. She's been enjoying her time here learning what she needs to."

The Gakuenchou looked wistfully over the campus. "She has the potential to continue the stability and peace that I have worked so hard to install after the great upheaval this academy has suffered. I have, in my years here, always given my Columns a chance to refuse the position."

"One that was not given you," Shizuru said quietly. She was absolutely correct.

Donnell turned angrily and fixed Shizuru with her dark eyes. "There! Revealed bare before me!" She deflated and sat. "You would be a great leader, you know, if you occasionally turned that perception and insight to the world in general. Or rather, if you made people other than myself and Kruger privy to these insights."

Shizuru smiled and shook her head. "I would not presume to step into your shoes."

Slight disappointment in her eyes, Donnell lifted a pen and scribbled a quick note.

"You will tell Kruger when you see her?" she asked, handing the impromptu invitation over. "She will receive my GEM, and you will step into vacant shoes two weeks from now."

Shizuru frowned at the date. It certainly wasn't in two weeks time.

"Ah, just some formalities, my friend. We have documents to review, we three."

??

Shizuru sighed and pulled her hair out of her face, combing her fingers through it a final time as she made her way out of the front door, closely followed by Natsuki. She was busy praying that the Trias would be able to keep the Kruger clan occupied with sight-seeing for the day.

"I swear," Natsuki muttered, "they treated us like a pair of children last night, Shizuru."

Shizuru glanced around quickly, checking that no one was watching, and pushed Natsuki back into their home, one hand on her shoulder. Her gaze was firm and left absolutely no room for argument.

"I know I forbade you from ranting about this last night and no one knows better than me how much you like a good rant, but we need to focus on the Harmonium," she said in a low voice. She shook her head and leaned closer. "I know it was hard but remember they're still our families. We're still their children. Both our mothers were probably secretly hoping we'd retire, marry rich widowers and give them some grandchildren."

Natsuki scowled. "Mine have more than enough," she muttered. She felt the impatience running off Shizuru and turned, a small contrite pout on her face. "I'm sorry. Look, let's just go sort this out and we'll deal with them at dinner tonight like we said we would, OK?"

Shizuru shook her head and leaned in for a kiss, smiling as Natsuki pulled her close to meet her.

In the car, conscious of a couple of knowing grins, they rifled through papers and investigated last minute notes.

"Wait," Natsuki said, looking up as the car neared the end of the driveway, "where's Mikoto?"

"She's meeting Miyu. She came to our window last night, none too keen to be seen entering the palace. She met Mikoto this morning and they're finding a more discrete way inside," Mai said, stifling a yawn. "It was pretty late, too, when she arrived."

They pulled the car up to the driveway and let the valet take it from them before following Sakomizu to Mashiro's private dining quarters. The queen was already seated with Arika, talking to Chie. Miyu and Mikoto had found their quiet way in and greeted their friends with cheer. Noticing the new arrivals, the queen beckoned the rest of the group over and they all took seats, a light buffet before them.

"Right, please help yourselves," Mashiro said, pouring herself a large coffee. "We'd best get down to business. Remember, everyone else thinks this is just a reunion breakfast."

Mikoto nodded, her mouth already filled with quite a few rashers of bacon. "It kinda is, Mashiro-chan, when you think about it."

"We need to sort this Harmonium business out," Youko said, solemn. "Our data suggest that the Harmonium never stopped running after the last time Nina Wang used it. It's maintaining some sort of power still."

"So, we'd need to shut it down, then," Maya said.

"In the long term, yes," Miyu said, drawing all eyes to her. "But we should thread carefully. The Harmonium was always a temperamental machine that only a very small number of people could use. I wasn't one of them."

"Well," Natsuki asked, "what was it used for, originally? Was it built as a weapon?"

Miyu shrugged. "One of my primary functions is protection and defence. Would you call me a weapon?" She smiled a small, fond smile at Arika and shook her head. "It was used to move matter from the satellite, where the link to Earth once was. It fell into disuse long before even my time. It was investigated during the Twelve Kingdoms War and adapted as a weapon but that had not been its primary function, it was thought."

There was silence at the table for a moment. "Did Nagi know any of this," Natsuki asked softly, "before he tried to re use it?". She shook her head briefly, banishing thoughts of irresponsible young dukes from her head. "It does kind of make sense, if it was a teleporter of some kind."

Sarah Gallagher shook her head emphatically. "No, it really doesn't. Youko-sensei, you're sure this energy wasn't around before its reactivation a few years ago?"

Youko put her fork down and smiled ruefully. "We don't think so, but we'll never know for sure. We're quite certain that it wasn't left on standby before, so to speak."

Mashiro sighed and nibbled a piece of toast, feeling weary. Arika seemed to notice and slid her left leg over to bump knees with her, a small smile barely visible on her face. Mashiro tired to hide the grin that bloomed behind a sip of coffee.

"But we are able to monitor it," Youko said with more certainty. "Everything we know is in the briefs."

"All right," Natsuki said, leaning forward onto her elbows, "so it was, but what do you suggest now? That we send someone through to get more data?"

"Yes."

There was silence at the table and those not privy to previous discussions hinting at this sat up and blinked.

"You're serious?" Mai asked, her eyes wide. "Send someone else through?"

Youko threw her hands up and glanced at Irina. "We know a lot more now than we did before we monitored one of the journeys. Also, according to both Natsuki and Armitage, they didn't actually spend any time there or feel like any time had passed."

Natsuki shrugged. "It was like a bit of a glance at a dream. Haruka told me the same thing."

Miyu adjusted her folded napkin and nodded her head. "I'd suggest that we don't send any Meister Otome through."

"What, well who then?" Mashiro asked. Nao tired to sink in her seat, suspecting the answer.

"The Columns of Garderobe, I think. If this is only working on humans, rather than any other pieces of matter, then it will not work on me."

Nao frowned. "Natsuki, when you were in the Uber World, did you have any rocks in your hand?" Natsuki shook and Nao cursed.

"And we certainly can't send any Masters, of course," Mai said, watching as Mikoto made to open her mouth.

"I'll volunteer," Chie said, raising her hand and earning a startled look from Arika. "If I break the contract with my commanding officer then no one will be at risk."

"Yeah, right," Arika muttered, sending a quick thought to Aoi.

"Thank you but no, Major Hallard," Shizuru said, calmly sipping some tea. "I'll go."

"What?! Absolutely not," Natsuki said, whirling to face her partner, "I'll go again. This Kuga person won't mind, will she?"

"We can't have Garderobe without a principal again," Shizuru said gently.

"I'll go," Maya said, nodding at Shizuru. "There's no way Kruger's going."

Sarah frowned. "Did Kuga know you? I mean, she didn't recognise you and me at all, according to Shizuru-onee-sama. Maybe it won't work."

"More importantly," Shizuru said, "we're talking about bringing someone to what is essentially an alien world. We have to consider them in all this and perhaps it would be less traumatic for the Shizuru from there to come here."

"Less traumatic my ass!" Natsuki said, angrily, she sent a dirty look around the table and eventually landed on Nao. She was about to open her mouth when the bell rang, signifying that certain members of the meeting had other places to go.

"I suggest we meet back here tomorrow again and discuss this further," Mashiro said, getting up. "Youko, how often are those bursts coming?"

"In the next week, they'll be at their most regular, we think. It's a complicated pattern and it's affected by a lot of factors. If we do this immediately after the end of the TDP session, we can have them back in fifty hours."

Mashiro nodded. "People are already starting to ask about the Harmonium and the project isn't even up and running yet. We need to let the TDP at the things as quickly as possible or it could start another war."

Nao shuddered and nodded. "Tomorrow it is, then," she said, sparing a glance at Natsuki and Shizuru. Natsuki was purple with anger and Shizuru's mouth was drawn into a thin line.

Trouble in paradise, apparently.

??

_The Past._

A week later, Natsuki held the door open for Shizuru and they entered Donnell's office together. With a certain sadness, they both noticed the darker patches on the walls where portraits had hung. Little bits and pieces had been removed and their voices seemed to echo morosely when they spoke.

Donnell was seated, unusually, on the sofa of her suite and wasted no time in inviting the pair of women over. They thanked her for the invitation and they complimented the sparkling wine she gave them. They toasted new beginnings and old successes.

"Well, the other three active Columns will arrive in the next few days to oversee the transfer of Garderobe. Do not anger them, my friend, as they would be well within their writ to take your position from you."

Natsuki smiled. Over the last three years she had often asked why she was being groomed for the position and she had been given many different answers. None of them had been entirely satisfactory. "I'll not let them. We'll have another smooth fifty years in Garderobe, wait and see."

Shizuru nodded and smiled warmly at her lover. Donnell noticed and smiled a lopsided smile. "Ah," she said, leaning back in her seat. "What I wouldn't give to be young and in love."

Natsuki blushed a brilliant shade of red and Shizuru hid her smile with a dainty sip of wine.

"Ara, were we that indiscreet, Gakuenchou?"

"Ha! Not at all. Perhaps being room mates for two years though... Well, will you continue as you both are? You, Natsuki, are bound here, but Shizuru, you are not," she said, sliding her shrewd gaze between them.

Natsuki blushed an even more unlikely shade of red and set her glass down. She reconsidered and lifted it, draining it in one long gulp. Shizuru did her best not to laugh out loud.

"Gakuenchou-" she said, sitting up straight and sounded terribly serious.

"Please, call me Nimo," Donnell interrupted smoothly, taking the wind out of Natsuki's sails. The young woman blinked and cleared her throat.

"We have discussed it and we both feel it best that, due to my relative inexperience, that someone familiar with the history and customs of Garderobe be on hand to advise me."

"I see. Such as a young woman who will soon be awarded a Master's Degree in Philosophy with a superb thesis on just such a subject?"

Natsuki groaned internally. This hadn't sounded quite so pathetic when she and Shizuru had rehearsed it. "Yes, Nimo."

Donnell seemed to consider that for a moment before the bubble of laughter in their throat erupted. She spluttered and laughed at the pair in front of her and even Shizuru began to feel slightly anxious.

"Ah, you two are terrible," she muttered, rising and heading for her desk. She lifted an envelope and a pen, making her way slowly back to the sofa.

"You must of course be discrete, you know. You must have the absolute respect of your students; only then will you win their loyalty. And you must remember that a great number of people would rather cast Otome in the role of eternal virgins rather than acknowledge that they may seek comfort in each other, or in female masters." She glanced at them sternly. "You two are not only essentially the keepers of this place but also the primary role model for these young women. No parent wants to think that her fourteen year old might get a little bit too friendly with the teenager in the next bunk."

The pair of women nodded and Nimo crossed her arms in front of her chest. "It isn't as if people wouldn't care if all five of the Columns were involved in drunken orgies behind closed doors; they have an ideal notion of what an Otome is and a large part of that notion involves some one in perfect control of her libido at all times."

She paused for a moment, lost in thought. "Had I been allowed the same freedom that you pair now take for granted, many things would have been different. But such is the nature of war. I pray you will never be forced to send your girls out to conflict."

She laid the papers before them and set the papers down.

"I have no small amount of wealth and I have been offered a fellowship in the University. They will provide for my needs until I die," she grinned in anticipation, "so I will invite fate's capricious gaze by furnishing you two with these papers. This first pair names each of you as Next of Kin to the other, an important consideration in such a potentially dangerous profession. The second set contain the contract for the suite in Garderobe. You may both live there, but it needs to be declared in black and white, for legal reasons."

Head spinning, Natsuki glanced over at Shizuru, who had picked up the first contract with a small frown.

"The third is my gift to you two. The contract for a term of union, including the registration fee. The choice is yours, and you have a few days to decide, but if you think it would help, please accept this gift and these few meagre suggestions." Her pale eyes held each woman in turn.

"I have seen people living in regret because such simple steps were never taken. If both of you are serious about walking this path together then you must realise that you must give grave thought to these matters. None of us live forever, after all."

The day of Shizuru's graduation, the papers were filed with a solicitor and two days later, both women were contracted as Columns of Garderobe.

??

The tension at dinner that night was thicker than molasses and just as hard to get out of clothes. Natsuki was still fuming at Shizuru and a day spent, wasted, in TDP deliberations hadn't helped.

"This really is fabulous beef, Natsuki," Countess Kruger said lightly. "So tender. Did one of your students prepare this?"

"Yes, some of the Pearls," Natsuki said, blinking at her stately mother.

"It must be handy, having a school filled with young women to tend to your every whim," Koda said flippantly, raising a blush from the pair of younger men and a stern glare from Chiaki.

"It comes in useful when we need the hoovering done, Koda-san," Shizuru said pleasantly, helping herself and her father to more potatoes.

Count Kruger nodded his approval. He fell firmly on the side of keeping the lower classes busy by allowing them the more menial tasks available, such as beating game and stocking his salmon rivers. He grinned widely at Gakari and gestured with his spoon.

"You all should come up for a visit, sometime in the summer."

Hokuto beamed. "Oh, Daddy, that would be marvellous. Please do come," she implored the Viola clan. Natsuki cringed and shared a weary glance with Chiaki. Would this dinner never end?

"So, Natsuki," Chiaki said, settling into an arm chair more comfortably after desert, "tell me about what happened between you and Shizuru all those years ago."

Natsuki sighed and rubbed her forehead. They're thankfully indulged in quite silly chit-chat the entire way through dinner, rather than actually address the question that had been on everyone's minds.

The principal looked across the room and saw her beloved (even if they weren't exactly on speaking terms) bouncing Baby Charlotte on her knee and smiled fondly. Chiaki inclined her head in invitation and smiled.

"There isn't much to tell. Gakuenchou Donnell sorted the papers out just before I took her role."

"That must have cost a pretty penny," Chiaki muttered.

"Donnell sorted it out," Natsuki said, still gazing over at Shizuru.

"And you signed up for how long?"

Natsuki blushed, remembering their younger selves and the passion that had flowed through them.

"Ten years. It was the longest we were allowed to, being so young and not previously married."+

Chiaki shook her head. "Well, if you choose to renew, then allow me to offer Kruger Manor for any festivities. I think everyone would have a good time. Grandmother would certainly appreciate it."

Natsuki turned to her sister and without hesitation nodded. "I'd really like that. So would Shizuru." She smiled again and quirked her eyebrows. "God, it seems like a life time ago. So much has happened since then."

Chiaki nodded her agreement. "You should have told us. It would have made a difference if we'd needed to change Grandmother's will." She waved at hand at Natsuki's worried look and smiled. "She's fine. She just wanted a weekend to sort out the estate without Father's constant meddling. You know what he's like. He remembers growing up and going out on his first hunt on Grandmother's knee."

Natsuki nodded. Herself and Chiaki had been close as children and she was surprised at how easy it was to slip back into comfortable conversation. "She always did say that the men in our family made excellent game keepers but useless Counts."

"When she was feeling kind," the tall woman drawled. "It makes a difference, you know. Instead of provisioning some sort of little spinster flat, we need to consider you actually having a proper place to retire to."

Natsuki shook her head. "Garderobe is my home, Aki."

"Well, I'm sure Shizuru wouldn't mind a nice little place in the country, would she?"

Natsuki looked back over the room and watched Shizuru hand Charlotte to her own mother. Her eyes flitted over the room and met Natsuki's. A wry twist of her shapely mouth earned an apologetic expression from Natsuki and she sat up slightly straighter. Shizuru sighed a small sigh and walked towards her, a smile spreading over her face.

"Shizuru," Natsuki said, trying to keep her tone business like when she could feel herself ache for the woman approaching her. "Aki's offering us a place in the country. What do you think? We could finally get a dog."

"Natsuki, I thought we promised Mikoto that we'd never get a dog."

_+Long ago, when pragmatic law makers had realised that if marriage was just another kind of contract, social, emotional or otherwise, they'd had to accept that contracts could be dissolved. While people on Earth had argued for and against same-sex marriage in the mists of the past, the lawyers of Windbloom had reached a very quick consensus regarding the same-sex pre nuptial agreement. Nothing had proven so effective in safeguarding the sanctity of marriage as the prospect of bankruptcy_

??

The midsummer ball had, by all accounts, been a resounding success. The progressive, much lauded Queen of Windbloom had taken the first steps in establishing a constitutional monarchy. The Technology Dissemination Project was progressing fabulously and she'd been danced off her feet. There had been many in the audience who said that she was a truly revolutionary monarch, that few accomplished so much in reigns spanning decades, never mind one spanning three years.

She had retired late, exhausted and slightly tipsy, holding onto Arika's elbow. They made their way to the Royal suite in near silence. The last few revellers were carted home at dawn in wheelbarrows and left to the tender ministrations of their hotel porters.

The morning after, she had exceeded expectations by being lucid and compos mentis while other delegates had to excuse themselves for noisy excursions to the toilets. She'd held herself together and been a source of pride for her country.

Unfortunately, as many will tell you, the day after a hangover can sometimes be worse than the day of a hangover, simply because it sneaks up on you with little warning and none of the fun of reminiscing about the previous night. The little bit of left over exhilaration is gone and a vague ache in the liver is left instead, as any individual frequenting royal events will tell you.

Mashiro dismissed the small evening meeting and turned to her pages, rifling through them. They'd again met early that morning, before the TDP and afterwards to discuss the Harmonium. The arguments had mostly been between Kruger and Viola, with the rest of the table trying not to make eye contact.

In the end, after many hours, it had been agreed that Viola would go. The definitive argument had simply been 'if I go, then you can look after the Shizuru that comes here, Natsuki. We can be sure of that. If anyone else goes, we can't be sure of that'. Kruger had been livid with the idea of her partner putting herself at risk and had excused herself early, ostensibly to wish her family good bye. The remaining women had quickly sorted out the logistics and agreed to meet during the following morning's TDP's recess to wish their colleague farewell.

The Queen sighed and closed her eyes briefly, letting Arika gather the documents for destruction.

"Come on, Mashiro-chan," she said softly after a while. Mashiro was surprised to find the table cleared of papers and Arika beside her.

"I drifted off?" she asked muzzily, wiping her eyes.

"Come on, it's time for bed," Arika said, offering her hand to her Queen. They entered one of the private corridors and made their way silently to the royal bedchambers.

It was a familiar activity, that of having Arika help her change for bed. She was usually too exhausted to bother going beyond slipping off her shoes. The fact that Arika still called her Mashiro-chan and teased her about her lack of a discernible chest somehow kept the activity from falling into the uncomfortable category of Queen/Servant interaction.

She lay on her side, watching Arika let her hair down and stretch, lifting her dress off and changing into a pair of pyjamas. She smiled softly, trying to hide it in her pillow. Her Otome had never been particularly self conscious.

"Do you want me to stay again?" Arika asked, running a hand through her thick hair and settling it around her shoulders. Mashiro nodded and lifted a hand, pulling her down beside her. The tall Otome chuckled and kissed her forehead gently before curling against her back. Mashiro pulled her arm around her waist and clasped her hand against her chest, kissing it lightly.

The sudden, warm contact had the effect of, for the first time in many months, relaxing her. Exhaustion pulled the strength from her limbs and robbed her of whatever strength she'd had in moments. Arika was not a giant or obtrusive presence in the bed but Mashiro was keenly aware of her. She heard her breathing, felt her breathing, and realised that if it wasn't for Arika, no one would have held her since she was a child.

"Mashiro-chan?" she asked, feeling the shivers in the slight frame beside her. "What's wrong, Mashiro-chan?"

"Hmph," she said, swallowing thickly against the lump in her throat. "Don't you think I'm a bit old for that, Arika?"

Arika blinked and lifted her head from the pillow, catching sight of the tears on Mashiro's face. Gently, she turned her Queen onto her back and leaned beside her on her elbows, stroking her face and forcing her to look up.

Those eyes above her were luminous in the half light seeping in diffuse rays from the edges of the curtains and she felt that it was finally all right for her to tell Arika what was on her mind. She wondered where she'd even start and turned her face away, ashamed at her weakness. She was very aware of Arika beside her, pins and needles running up and down her side.

"You're not going to get me to call you your Majesty, are you?" she asked in a light tone, trying to relax the tension in the room.

"Maybe, I don't know. It'd be the grown up thing to do, wouldn't it?"

"Heh, maybe in public. It'll be a joke between us," she said quietly. "And you can call me Meister Yumemiya."

Mashiro leaned her face into the palm of Arika's hand and sighed. "I've given them what they want. Do I get to be selfish for a while?" she asked, pale eyes luminous with tears. "Can I pretend I'm a refugee again, or go and act like an idiot in Garderobe for a while?"

"You've given everything they could have asked of you, Mashiro."

"They'll want more," she said, miserably. Arika leaned down, desperate to comfort her friend. She had suspected for a while now, almost a year in fact, that Mashiro had been waiting for an appropriate time to cave in on herself. Her friend's periods of depression and self doubt bothered her, mostly because she had no idea of how to deal with them. She kissed the pale forehead beneath her and closed her eyes, sighing.

"We'll go away to the Nekogami Mountain. Mai and Mikoto said they've still got a bit that's nearly completely private. Just them and Jyubei and Junior." She sent an apology heavenwards, knowing that there was still quite a while before the demands on Mashiro's time would lessen enough for even a few days of vacation.

"That sounds nice," the Queen said quietly. Arika laid beside her and turned to face her, studying her friend. The Otome lifted her hand and continued to smooth Mashiro's hair from her brow, pausing to wipe tears away and to stroke the soft skin of her face.

"I keep thinking that they'll just wait until the right time and then get rid of me."

"I'll not let them."

"Maybe they're right to, though. Look at Aries. They don't have a queen or king but their people are pretty happy."

Arika pulled the trembling woman closer and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry about all this now. It won't happen."

Mashiro wrapped her arms around Arika and clung to her. "You can't know that."

"Even if it does, I'll stay with you forever. I'll use my element as a tin opener." She dropped her next kiss on Mashiro's cheek, lingering for a moment. "It's a promise."

Mashiro chuckled and closed her eyes, trying to banish her melancholic mood. "I'll have the kitchen send up a tin of peaches, or something."

"Not tonight, Mashiro-chan," she said, kissing the closed eyes with reverence, "they're probably nearly as tired as us."

"I'm not that tired," Mashiro protested, wiggling slightly.

"Of course not." Her own eyes were heavy and Arika stifled a yawn. Mashiro's breathing was growing deep and even and she felt her spine crackle and pop as she relaxed.

"Good night, Mashiro," she said, leaning in for a final kiss. She hadn't planned to kiss the royal lips, but somehow it ended up happening. A single touch wasn't enough and she couldn't deny herself another.

Neither could Mashiro, apparently. She wound her hand behind Arika's neck and responded enthusiastically.

After a breathless moment, Arika pulled away. "Sorry."

"What for?" Mashiro asked, almost asleep. "It was nice." She kissed Arika again. "You should do it more often."

Arika smiled fondly. "I'll bear that in mind, Mashiro."

Mashiro laughed a small laugh and buried her face in Arika's neck, slightly embarrassed and sighed hugely. Tension drained from her body and the tremulous wakefulness of being too tired to sleep left her. Arika held her still, listening to her breathing even out and become more regular.

She snores like a kitten, she thought. Her mind spun, the memory of Mashiro's mouth on hers inordinately tangible and her heart was still pounding.

What the hell, she wondered, had she just gotten herself into?

??

The silence of their bedroom weighed heavily upon them, tangible in the gloom. Contrite lips followed the fall of long, fragrant hair before they encountered the bare skin of a swanlike neck. Hesitant hands traced the slope between breast and hip, reverent in the silence.

"I'm sorry," she murmured against the skin of her lover. "I'm sorry I was such an ass."

Shizuru turned onto her back and looked up at Natsuki, eyes dark in the dim light. "You were being an ass."

Natsuki tucked a strand of hair behind her own ear, fidgeting slightly. "I worry about you," she said quietly, as if concerned that someone might be listening.

Shizuru sighed and wrapped her arms around Natsuki's neck, sighing in exasperation. Natsuki kissed her slowly on the lips, hoping to convey her repentance.

"I don't want you to go," she said a while later. "We'll send Nao instead." It was, she thought, not long at all until morning. Not half long enough.

Shizuru tugged Natsuki down to her and kissed her slowly, happy to be lost in the warmth above her. She cradled her lover with her hands and legs, settling themselves together. Languorous sighs were swallowed and familiar urgency set hands trembling.

Shizuru leaned her head back on her pillow as Natsuki launched a campaign against her neck. She looked down at the dark head, hair like silk slipping through her fingers and felt a rush of fond adoration. The clumsy, frantic touch of Natsuki's hands and lips did nothing to obscure the devotion apparent and Shizuru let her eyes close with a sigh.

"I'm still going."

??

_The Next Day, Lunch Time_

Natsuki leaned her chin in her hand as she gazed out the window, watching birds skim the spires of Wind City. Smoke curled from fires here and there and the river flashed like in the sunlight like a ribbon stamped from precious metal. She sighed and closed her eyes, going over that morning in her mind. She'd woken up on the couch, an ill omen if ever one were portend.

They'd eaten breakfast in near silence, slipped around each other in their en suite and attempting to keep up a cheery face for their guests. Natsuki had pulled Shizuru aside as they were leaving their home, already running late, and had only been able to whisper a quick word of affection and share a fleeting kiss before they'd been torn away into the (literally) yawning abyss of international diplomacy.

After the closing of the Technology Dissemination Project Launch, Shizuru had briefly spoken with the Queen before the Five Columns made their way down to meet Irina and Youko. The pretence given was that those remaining few visiting dignitaries would be able to converse with Mashiro away from prying ears. Those remaining in Windbloom, the scientists and the students, were all quite anxious to get settled into their new accommodation and sleep away the conference's exhaustion.

A few miserable hours previous, Natsuki had stood with Shizuru in that damp chamber and they'd wished each other a terse good bye, just about brushing hands as they'd passed each other. Shizuru had stood for a moment, getting the closest look at the Harmonium that she'd ever had before an audible hum had risen in their ears. The light that accompanied had filled Natsuki with cold dread but she'd forced her eyes open, rushing forward in time to catch the young woman who appeared as she slumped forward.

That same young woman, now lying in the bed beside her chair, slept motionless and serene. They'd told her that they'd not been close enough to catch Kuga and that she'd collapsed into the grime and dust on the floor. She was thankful to have spared the elegant young woman that indignity. She couldn't help staring down at her, marvelling at how young she looked, how frail. Had they both ever been that young, she wondered.

The girl frowned and Natsuki straightened in her seat. Maybe they should have gone along with Nao's suggestion and kept her sedated for the duration. Her eyes stirred and Natsuki found her full attention riveted to the narrow cot.

"Natsuki?" the young woman said, quietly. "What happened? Where am I?"

Natsuki handed her a glass of water and helped her sit up. "All right, take it easy. Um. Shizuru? My name is Natsuki Kruger and you're in a place called Fuuka Castle, in Wind City. We've brought you here using a machine called a Harmonium."

Shizuru blinked and glanced around the room. It looked like any other hospital room she'd ever seen. She frowned at Natsuki and closed her eyes against a slight pain in her head.

"Natsuki, what are you talking about?"

Kruger sighed and stood, offering her hand to Shizuru. She led the younger woman to the window and smiled a lopsided smile.

"Welcome to Windbloom."

??

Shizuru wrapped her arms around herself and stood before a wall of pictures, silently taking them in. It did indeed appear as if her identical double was residing in this house, with someone who bore a striking resemblance to Natsuki. There were pictures of them with various groups of people and in many different locations. The house she'd been taken to (after being bundled in a car with tinted windows) was spacious, comfortable and quite opulent.

Her head still ached slightly, possibly from trying to figure out what she'd been told. She wondered if she'd been drugged or if someone was playing a very cruel joke on her. All this talk of Robes and Otome, their relation to the HiME system, of being on a completely different planet under a different sun was overwhelming. She'd been introduced to people whose faces she knew, oddly juxtaposed to completely different individuals. Miyu had been a particular revelation.

They told her that her own Natsuki, Kuga Natsuki, had been here a few weeks previous. She found it slightly odd that Natsuki hadn't mentioned anything about it, truth be told. Surely she would have alluded to it, even brushed it off as a dream.

Frowning, she reached out and touched a framed photograph of herself and Natsuki arm in arm in front of a breathtaking view of sea cliffs. Her own hair was caught at the nape of her neck with a barrette but Natsuki's was streaming out behind her, dancing in an invisible and long passed wind.

She looked so happy, she thought. The Shizuru in the picture had wrapped her arm through Natsuki's and the shorter woman had caught it, cradling it against her collar bone. They were both smiling at the camera and were noticeably tanned. She closed her eyes and swallowed, composing herself.

Whatever was happening, be it a dream or a trick; a hallucination or psychosis (again) then she was going to conduct herself in an unimpeachable manner. Doubts and worry danced behind her eyes as she spied a black and white photo of herself, Natsuki and a very large dog, all three quite close together. She took a deep breath. Whatever was happening, she'd thread carefully until she knew more about the situation.

"Fujino?" Natsuki called, "are you ready to eat?" she said, making her way into the room, her hair still slightly damp. Shizuru was struck suddenly by how comfortable Natsuki seemed in this place and the thought made her stomach twist. Natsuki, her own Kuga, tended to bull through her own apartment as if she resented the walls around her.

"I am, thank you Kruger-san," she said, dragging a smile onto her face. "You have a beautiful home. Did you decorate yourself?"

Natsuki shrugged. "We get a budget every few years and Shizuru, Viola, I mean, mostly sorted it out last time," she said with a crooked smile.

"Ara, as domestic as ever," Shizuru said, a brittle smile on her face. So, they definitely lived together then.

Natsuki shrugged and smiled. "I failed all those bits of Garderobe's training. But then, so did Viola." She frowned slightly at the memory. "In fact, if it hadn't been for Mai then we would have been in hot water for the make up exams."

Shizuru blinked in happy surprise, her smile becoming slightly more confident. "The same thing happened to me. Although Midori had pitted us against each other in competition."

Natsuki's eyebrow twitched. "Pitted us against each other? It wasn't a battle to the death, was it?" She somehow couldn't imagine the stern, imposing boss of Aswald presiding over school exams, somehow.

"There were no fatalities, thankfully."

Natsuki smiled and led Shizuru into the kitchen, where Mai and Mikoto were bustling around. They'd not been present at the switch and were anxious to meet Shizuru.

"Ah, hi, Tokiha Mai. Pleased to meet you," Mai chirped, sketching a small bow. "This is Mikoto."

Mikoto waved lazily and grinned. "I hope you're hungry, Mai's cooked up a storm."

Shizuru smiled graciously and looked at Natsuki. "As long as it isn't smothered in mayonnaise."

Natsuki frowned. "What the hell is mayonnaise?"

??

After dinner they retired to the living room and Natsuki put a favourite record on the player before settling on the couch. She was slightly bemused by the amount of entertaining she'd had to do in the past few days. She was wondering if her couch was ever going to be the same again. Perhaps it was a sign that she was getting older; what next, dinner parties with ironed linen?

"It's been so long since I've been able to relax in Garderobe," Mai sighed. "It used to be such a blast, didn't it Natsuki?"

Natsuki shrugged. "It was different, that's for sure."

Mai turned to Shizuru, smiling widely. Mikoto was leaning back against the arm of the couch, watching indulgently. For once, she'd opted out of her gi and was dressed in loose fitted trousers typical of Windbloom. She stretched and poked Mai with her toe at the same time, earning a pout. "When Natsuki arrived here, she was used to living out in the boondocks and I'd been raised in a very formal court. One much more formal than Mashiro's even."

She turned to Natsuki. "Will Fujino-san be able to see the court, at all?"

"We've been invited for lunch tomorrow, if you'd like to visit," Natsuki asked, turning to Shizuru and making sure that she wasn't too overwhelmed. The girl was wary, of that she was sure, but didn't seen adverse to the idea.

"A court, as in a royal court?" she asked, suspecting they weren't referring to either tennis courts or law courts. The idea made her slightly nervous. Were the Columns really afforded so much respect that they could meet with the queen whenever they pleased?

"Yup," Mikoto said, "Mashiro-chan's a few years younger than you, though. It won't be too formal."

Shizuru smiled politely. "I've never been around royalty before."

"Feh," Mikoto scoffed, "Mai's the Princess of Zipang and heir presumptive and Natsuki's the Lady Natsuki Kruger."

"I've heard you been called a princess too," Natsuki pointed out, laughing. "And I don't think that any of us pay much attention to rank here, somehow. I'm the second daughter of a Count very, very far away," she told Shizuru, trying to remember that this girl didn't know every detail of her life inside and out.

Mai nodded, quirking her mouth. "I think Gakuenchou of Garderobe supersedes it, don't you?"

Shizuru glanced over at Natsuki and watched her laugh easily and shake her head. She tried not to stare, but she didn't think she'd ever seen her own Kuga so relaxed. So at ease with herself and her surroundings. Was Natsuki going to grow up like this? The idea sent a thrill down her spine.

"So, Fujino-san, what do you do in your world?" Mai asked. "Are you studying or do you work?"

"I'm starting university in a few months. I took a year out between graduating high school and enrolling," she said, taking a sip of her tea.

"Good idea," Natsuki said, "a break after education can do people the world of good," half way through that sentence, she'd remembered exactly who she'd been sitting with but the rest of the words had spilled out. She looked sheepishly at Mai and smiled an apology. Mai waved it off and looked slightly chagrined.

"It did, in the long run," she said, sharing a smile with Mikoto and studiously avoiding Natsuki's eyes. "It all went a bit crazy at the end of Pearl year," she muttered, eyes down for a second before Mikoto took her hand and gave it a squeeze. She smiled brightly and turned back to Shizuru.

"So, what are you studying?"

??

_"It seem'd a virgin, full of living flame;_

_That would have mov'd, if not with held by shame._

_Such Art his art conceal'd: which he admires;_

_And from it draws imaginary fires"_

Nimo Donnell scowled into her glass of port and peered over the top of her spectacles.

"Enough!" she snapped. "You're butchering that piece of poetry. What have I told you about meter?"

Nao rolled her eyes and sighed. "That we're all poorer without it."

"Yes!" she barked. "Now, listen to me, there are few enough people who know anything about this subject and the way you're going, you're going to drive one of them into an early grave!"

Nao scowled back at the professor and would have felt bad if Donnell hadn't tended to say the same thing every time they met. She held her gaze and Donnell eventually let out a sigh.

"I suppose it's enough for today," she muttered. "Pour yourself a glass of port, you've earned it."

Nao thanked her and sat opposite the older woman, tired and woolly headed.

"I must say, despite your brutal treatment of the poor sculptor, you're progressing very well. I was especially impressed with your translation of the first half of the book."

Nao shrugged. "It's fascinating," she said, closing the old book. "Although the sooner we leave these hulking great poems, the better. I'd prefer something short and sweet."

Nimo bit her lip. "We are a third of the way through, I suppose. How is your Greek coming? I do have something in mind which could hold your attention better."

Nao shrugged. "Better than my written Latin, but I couldn't read it aloud."

Nimo looked wistful. "None of us could, my friend. The bare words might be there but the way to bring them to life is long lost. We'll begin then, at the end of the month."

Nao nodded her thanks and let her eyes wander around the comfortable study. As much as she and the professor argued, it was invariably to do with academic minutiae and not any personal grievances.

"What was your first reaction, on reading that section of the poem?" Nimo asked. "I'm merely curious, your gut reaction rather than a critical reaction."

Nao shrugged. "Isn't it what the artist always aspires to? A piece of work so perfect that you'd love it and that the gods would bless it?"

Nimo nodded for a moment. "I wonder if it was blessed for its form or for the feeling it evoked in its creator? The latter, I think. I shall introduce you to one much better acquainted with the whims of the Cypriot soon."

Nao frowned. "I don't think so. He loved his work and his accomplishment, the statue represented all he had worked for and it completely satisfied his creativity. So, it was blessed and he fell in love with the woman animated."

"Or rather, was his work so divine and perfect that he amazed himself? Did he go through the process of carving imperfect matter and create something he'd never imagined could exist in such a form? He was not one comfortable with women, remember."

"So, what? He fell in love with an idea?" Nao asked, wishing she'd come better prepared. Even if it was only a bout of verbal sparring, she didn't want to seem ignorant.

"Ah, you're getting it," Nimo said, smiling indulgently. "There is always an ideal form, a perfect form, waiting at the heart of every rough creation. We only need the right tools to reveal it."

"We all have our Galateas," Nao murmured, mulling it over.

Nimo laughed. "Indeed! Or rather, we'd rather have Pygmalion's optimism than suffer from a naive loss to Millais," she enunciated carefully.

Nao frowned and earned a large, thick book in her lap as a reward. It was a frequent occurrence, unfortunately. It was one of Donnell's less endearing qualities. She soon bid her teacher good night and made her way back to her rooms.

The moon above was bright although the city haze had obscured the stars above. She cradled her books to her chest, wondering about many things. She wondered what the moon above Earth had been like and felt more than slightly jealous. The texts she now devoted her time to seemed to have brought to Earl as an afterthought; out of a sense of duty to history rather than a love of their content.

Her classmates thought her mad to chase through scraps in ancient, dead languages when they had such easy access to their own historical material. They said that their history was easier to understand, because it was much closer to them; more recent. Why bother with dictionaries and musty books when you could produce a perfectly good thesis with a laptop and a music player?

She shook her head and sighed. A decade or a millennium were much the same, in many ways, she thought. How could they claim a better understanding of a more recent past for the virtue of it being less removed in time? Once removed, the past was lost. Memory was fleeting and fickle and history highly selective about what entered its annals. If anything, she thought some of her classmates were over burdened with noise from their chosen periods.

Especially, she thought, those studying early twenty first century music. She shook away the uncharitable thoughts and ruefully admitted to herself that she would have been delighted with recordings by the author of any of her work.

The moon was still bright overhead and she wondered if Shizuru's Earth was the same as the one they'd all left so long ago. And, if so, had the other woman ever been to the places she was learning about? Perhaps she'd get a chance to ask, although she didn't want to appear too eager to learn, her reputation would be destroyed.

She paused on the same bridge she had loitered on with Kuga and wondered if the sullen girl was standing beneath the same moon that had bathed Pygmalion's studio.

??

Small talk persisted for many hours, until Shizuru yawned one too many times and was led to Natsuki's bed. She followed quietly and was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Mikoto had dropped off on the couch and been shooed to bed by a slightly fussy Mai.

Natsuki found herself leaning against the sink and wishing she hadn't given up smoking as she dried the dishes. Mai was up to her elbows in soapy water and humming softly. Natsuki looked at her and smiled fondly; the woman hadn't changed a bit.

"So, what do you think?" she began, "Fujino seems to be taking it all in her stride, doesn't she?"

Mai nodded slowly. "She just seems tired. We're going to have to let her know how grateful we all are. Youko-sensei was telling me they managed to retrieve a lot more data this time and it confirmed some of their hypotheses."

"Good. I still feel bad about all this, though. There should have been another way."

Mai nodded again, more vigourously. "I don't like the idea of messing with people's lives. But as far as we know, they don't remember being here at all, right? And it could also be that their world is at threat from the Harmonium too, if it's connected."

"Could be," Natsuki said. She cleared her throat a bit and Mai looked up at her expectantly. "Thanks for being here. It means a lot."

Mai smiled gently. "I'm glad to be able to help."

_It's too late to start this conversation tonight, isn't it?_

"Still, thanks. You're a good friend," Natsuki said, genuinely meaning it. Mai's face softened in wistful sorrow.

"Well, maybe in the past couple of years. But not before."

Natsuki shrugged and picked up a plate. It really was too late for this conversation. "Eh, it doesn't matter. You fed us tonight. I'm very forgiving on a full belly."

Mai laughed and let the water out of the sink, taking an edge of the dish cloth from Natsuki and drying her hands. This household needed to invest in a pair of marigolds, she thought. Natsuki was just as she remembered her, somehow. The solid lines of her limbs and her confident posture were unmistakable (and quite similar to her father's, many would say). Her wrists were strong and her hands sure. She shook her head and grinned up at her, quirking her mouth in thanks.

Natsuki shrugged and finished the drying, rattling around in a companionable silence as Mai took the apron she'd found off. They wished each other good night and Mai made her way to the guest room; Natsuki heading for the couch.

She dutifully pulled the bed out and made it up, feeling suddenly weary. She slumped onto the edge of it and sighed, wondering where all her energy had seeped away to.

Lonesome, but too tired to indulge any melancholy thoughts, she stared out the window at the night sky, still wishing she hadn't given up cigarettes.

??

Mashiro sighed, another day of exhaustion and tedium. When, exactly, was she going to get this holiday she'd been promised? Aoi was brushing her hair gently and humming.

"It's been a while, Mashiro-sama," she commented, braiding Mashiro's hair for bed.

"It has," she said, surprised. Aoi hadn't helped her dress for bed in nearly a week. She flushed as she remembered (as if she could ever forget) exactly why that had happened. Arika had begged off to go and meet Irina before bed, to get some on the ground information.

Mashiro stifled a sigh. Arika had been as nervous as a cat in a Krugerhund pen all day and it made her want to weep. It had only been a kiss! She kissed Arika up to seventeen times on a busy day and she knew for a fact that most people were just a little bit sensitive around the ears (or so she'd read in some of those books of Chie's that she'd found lying around in Aoi's parlour).

It was only a kiss, she thought. She'd had about ninety people kiss her hand that morning. It wasn't different, was it?

The drop in her stomach hinted that perhaps it was slightly different. She blushed at the memory and tired to banish it. Aoi, leaning over her shoulder, frowned.

"Is everything all right, Mashiro-sama?" she asked in concern. Her warm face was round and pale in the mirror and Mashiro was struck with the thought that Chie was very lucky to have her.

"It's OK, Aoi. You should go off-duty, it's late."

Aoi smiled. "You're a night owl," she said lightly. "I'll leave you in peace, if you wish."

Mashiro nodded and thanked her. Getting up, slightly stiff, she glanced over her shoulder. It was almost midnight; probably too late to make the twenty minute journey to Chie's quarters, she thought. The slight woman frowned in regret and chewed the inside of her lip. Perhaps it was time to face the music and realise that Aoi was absolutely wasted running around, picking up her laundry.

She made her way to her bed and crawled in, wrapping herself around a pillow and sighing. It was, she had to admit, much more comfortable than wrapping herself around a skinny, athletic woman.

She closed her eyes and immediately realised that the absence of Arika's breathing and her warmth were much less comfortable.

It occurred to her as she lay, her eyes only half closed, that she had been through far too much to still be treating the people she cared about like pillows and personal hair dressers. That was precisely what actual pillows and the royal hairdresser were for.

Taking her Otome to bed every night would probably invite quite a bit of disapproval if it was ever made public knowledge but what harm? It wasn't as if she was forcing unwanted attention on Arika.

Was she?

She'd heard about women taking their Otome to bed, who hadn't? It was considered highly dangerous to mention Haruka and Yukino's relationship in any but the most polite terms in Aries. It was straight forward for Otome who served their family members or men, but having a female master complicated the dilemma of what had been euphemistically coined the Otome's Policy.

She turned onto her back and breathed in. She could still smell Arika on the sheets and could recall the how she'd tasted. Surely no one could taste that sweet after brushing their teeth. She felt a flush build and swallowed thickly. She could still remember the sensation of her back under her hand, the texture of her hair.

She flipped again onto her stomach and groaned. She'd promised herself that she'd never be a person like Nagi; taking advantage of his Otome to indulge any whim. She shuddered to imagine what might have happened if he'd actually been through puberty when he set his plan in motion. She'd heard tales of kings from years gone by who'd delighted in displaying their wealth by buying up hoards of Otome and removing their qualifications, so to speak.

She gripped the pillow even tighter. She'd vowed never to be a tyrant and she certainly wasn't going to hurt a friend in the process. She'd done that enough already, she thought bitterly. The palace was quiet around her and she wondered where Arika was, surely cuddling in bed wasn't overstepping any boundaries of propriety, since her Otome seemed to appreciate it as much as she did. She admitted that the kiss probably had been several feet over the bounds, however.

But still. It had only been a kiss. It wasn't as if, some small part of her whispered, it could ever grow into anything more than friendship. Their roles were set; she would marry and produce an heir and Arika would stand beside her as a loyal bodyguard, end of story.

She closed her eyes, lonely and cold in the huge bed.

??

Lying in Natsuki's guest room, staring at the ceiling, Mai caressed the messy head curled into her chest and counted her breaths. Mikoto was strong, stronger than any robed Otome she'd ever encountered, but her arms were always gentle around Mai. She was a solid weight on Mai's side, content and fast asleep.

Mai reached her spare hand up and rubbed her eyes, wishing for sleep. Old demons, demons that she hadn't faced up to for the past ten odd years, were rearing their head once more and she bit down on them. How could it be so difficult to put someone out of your head when you'd been practising it for the previous decade?

She sighed and closed her eyes, trying to drift off. Mikoto shifted, probably feeling her tension, and slid her legs more firmly around Mai's. Mai flushed at the contact and squirmed slightly. Like that was going to help her sleep.

She turned her face down towards Mikoto's hair and let herself drift not into sleep, but into memory. Why dredge old pain when devoted joy surrounded her?

There were moments, she thought, when she was with Mikoto that she felt her affectionate warmth settle around her shoulders like a blanket and permeate her chest, resting eventually in her stomach. These moments were not infrequent and they were often completely unexpected. She was always surprised at how easily they were given and received. She was always surprised at how many of them she herself initiated for no concrete reason.

Memory blurred as words and dialogue failed her and she slipped into the lucid, fuzzy realm of dream.

The heat from the open fire (and not her element, as they had once attempted with disastrous results) filled their little house and chased away the oppressive silence from outside. The falling snow had muted the air and reduced visibility to such an extent that it was easy to pretend they were the only people in the world.

Apart from Jyubei, of course.

They were curled under a blanket together, Mikoto in her favourite position comfortably nestled against her side, head pillowed on her chest. Hours previous, they had finished a hot dinner and settled down with mugs of spicy mulled wine. Mai had nestled into the corner of the couch and asked for a story and Mikoto had told her the tale of explorers who had, with her help, robbed the tomb of ancient kings and died old and rich, two hundred years ago.

Mai had been surprised that first cold night when pining from a broken heart and her contract with an apparent monster, Mikoto had settled in the inglenook and closed her golden eyes. In a low, rhythmic voice she'd told stories of princesses and fairies; of bandits and adventurers. They'd passed that entire winter and half of the next before they'd curled beneath a blanket together. She'd been amazed at Mikoto's clarity of memory and how she had developed her skill.

She'd been surprised, at first, at every reminder that Mikoto was more than human. Her fighting skill excepted (for Mai had been raised in a world of preternaturally skilled warriors) the hints of her power and age were often from unexpected sources. She spoke of long dead kings as little boys and of great poets as old friends. She spoke of legendary figures with easy familiarity and of artists and dreamers with fondness.

Her story finished, golden eyes had slid open and looked up with an expectant gleam. Mai had dropped a soft kiss on her wild hair and she sang an old love song that Mikoto had heard her sing a hundred times before. Their eyes sleepy and trained on the small, hot flames in the fire, Mai had sung the song three times before she stopped. Mikoto had dropped a small kiss on her chin and pulled the blanket more securely around them.

"Will we go to bed, Mai?"

"We should stay here, where it's warm. It's too cold to move," Mai replied, turning her head and yawning into the cushion beside her. She excused herself and closed her eyes. "We'll sleep for the entire winter, like squirrels."

"I miss having fresh squirrel during the winter," Mikoto lamented. "You make such a nice stew."

"I'll make something nice for breakfast," Mai muttered as Mikoto shifted slightly and lifted her hand, playing with her fingers under the blanket. She smiled and pulled her hand away. "Stop it, that tickles."

Mikoto's eyes gleamed and she buried her head in Mai's cleavage. "I know a few other things that might tickle Mai!"

Mai squealed and her eyes flew open as Mikoto made good on her prediction.

Mikoto blinked awake, confused for a few moments. She caught sight of a sleepy smile on Mai's parted mouth and watched her eyelashes flicker in the dim light. What had woken her, she wondered, peering around the the gloom, her ears and nose pricked. Eventually, she smiled and curled back around Mai, pulling the duvet more securely around them.

Sleeping sans nightwear did occasionally have its disadvantages, she decided, but they were easily outweighed.

??

The night air was fragrant and cool on the hill where she lived and Natsuki was taking advantage of its soothing quality. She'd been woken up by a muffled yelp from the guest room and was in no mood to root out her earplugs. The stone of the balcony still retained the slightest ghost of warmth from the day and kept the chill at bay.

The city below her was a sleeping child beneath a jewelled blanket, making noise occasionally and seeming to turn as the low haze that would condense into fog scudded over the roof tops.

"Kruger-san?" she whipped her head around and spied Shizuru further down the balcony, looking slightly lost in a very plush dressing gown.

"Fujino," she said, pulling herself out of her sleepy, blue mood. "You couldn't sleep either?" Funny, she could have sworn that the master bedroom had been soundproofed years ago.

"I'm afraid not," she said, joining her at the railing. "It's very warm inside. I thought I'd get some fresh air."

Natsuki nodded wisely. "It's an early heat wave. It's going to be a scorcher tomorrow. We'll have to find some pleasant way to divert our time," she said, smiling.

"My time," she said contemplatively. "How long am I to have, again?"

"One more day and a night," Natsuki said. Her mind drifted back to the conversation with Mai. "We really appreciate this. You're helping us make sure this world is safe."

Shizuru smiled a thin smile. The last time someone had told her that, she'd ended up a murderer. "I'm sure you know what you're all doing," she said, pleasantly.

"It's amazing though," Natsuki said, warming to the subject, "to talk to someone from another world, someone who's so familiar."

Shizuru nodded. "Tell me more about this world, then. Tell me about you."

Natsuki shrugged and led them to a handsome set of wooden patio furniture. She paused before sitting and tip toed back inside, collecting a couple of woollen blankets. Shizuru smiled softly and thanked her host, watching her in the blue moonlight.

"Tell me about yourself, don't try to escape," she teased, causing Natsuki to laugh.

"What about me? I'm the third youngest of four girls. My mother and father live with my eldest sister Chiaki in a remote, old house with my grandmother. I lived there myself until I was fourteen, when I came here. Um, I two nieces with two more on the way. Well, maybe boys; we don't know." She frowned and looked out at the city.

"I've been principal here for eight years and I'm one of the Five Columns of Garderobe, although I think Youko mentioned all this already," Shizuru nodded. "What else? Work keeps me busy."

"What about Shizuru Viola?" she asked, a smile on her lips.

Natsuki blushed a bit. "We've been together for quite a while now. About ten years."

Shizuru shook her head in amazement. Her own Natsuki probably would have told anyone to buzz off if asked that question.

"You live in an interesting city, as well, or so it seems."

Natsuki shrugged. "I prefer it when it's dull, to be honest. The last time this place got interesting, we nearly lost the school."

Shizuru nodded slowly. "I myself have recently been dedicating a lot of effort towards rebuilding our own Fuuka."

"Oh, you have a castle too?"

"No," Shizuru smiled, "our school is called Fuuka. It was also damaged during some unpleasantness."

The young woman shifted her gaze away from Natsuki, causing the principal to feel a stab of guilt for bringing up painful subjects. Perhaps there were more neutral topics of conversation?

"Tell me more about you," Natsuki said, leaning forward, "and about Kuga. I heard a lot about her. She sounds kinda familiar, to be honest."

Shizuru leaned back in her chair, watching the blue light of the moon play across Kruger's face. Instead of leeching the colour from it, it made her hair look like inky silk and her eyes like diamonds. She smiled and launched into a treatise on her favourite subject.

"I first met Natsuki in the gardens of our school. She was still in middle school-"

??

_Tonight I've watched..._

_The moon and then... see frag 22, 24; contrast w/ 6, 7; ref. to Hecate 35 - link?_

_the Pleiades... Earth constellation? frag 26_

_go down..._

_The night is now ..._

_half gone; youth... frag 9, 60, 100? youth/immortality_

_goes; I am..._

_in bed alone... cont. w/ bride songs? 45, 47 for more about bed_

_Fragment 64, Mary Barnard's Sappho. Notebook of Juliet Nao Zhang, Department of Classical Literature, Wind City University. Thought to have been written during preparation for application for PhD funding._

_University Library, Wind City; Himeno Archive._

??

The river running through Wind City is not the riverine paradise it once was; such is the cost of being a city river. While portions of it were tidied up during development on the steep city banks, it is not a place a sensible person would choose for a swim.

Upstream of the town, however, has been known for many years to foster a much cleaner and more idyllic environment. As a result, the low grassy banks and low hanging trees had attracted quite a bit of attention from people seeking to make money from visiting tourists.

So, as a result of a flourishing boating industry, Shizuru found herself out on the sun dappled water beneath a parasol, seated in the bottom of a long gondola-style boat. Mai was drowsing beside her, while Mikoto kept watch while nestled in the bow. Natsuki was standing in the stern, facing them and rowing contentedly, her shirtsleeves rolled up past her elbows.

"This reminds me of the summer before our Pearl year," Mai muttered sleepily, one hand shading her eyes from the glare reflecting off the water. "We spent most of our free time out here with all the others," she told Shizuru before glancing at Natsuki fondly.

"Do you remember Miss Maria chasing us home every evening? She thought being out here was going to corrupt us."

"It didn't?" Mai joked before closing her eyes again.

Natsuki smiled softly and nodded, sculling in smooth strokes. Mikoto was perched over one edge of the boat, trailing her fingers in her water and watching boatmen and other insects skim the surface of the sluggish river.

"Hey," Mai piped a few quiet minutes later, a smile curling her lips. "Do you remember that time you fell in?"

Natsuki blushed a charming shade of red and chuckled. "I'd hoped you'd forgotten about that."+

Another boat pulled past, small children waving at them as they scooted down the river. Shizuru watched the play of strong muscle in Natsuki's arms as she pulled the oars taught with practices ease.

"Ara, it's very peaceful here, Kruger-san. Do you come here often?" Shizuru asked politely.

"Often enough, when the weather's nice," she said, dodging a barge with practiced ease. "They say that you used to be able to ice skate on it in the winter, but that was years ago."

"It must have been beautiful," she said, adjusting her parasol. Usually, she wouldn't have minded the sun but Natsuki was aiming to keep a low profile. "It must be romantic out here at night," she said, a small smile aimed at the principal.

"Oh, it is," Natsuki said, fighting to keep from appearing too smug or lovesick. "You can rent lanterns with the boats as well as blankets. Some people stay out all night," she said, wistfully dipping the oars once again.

Shizuru blinked in surprise at Natsuki's serene (if slightly vacant and distracted) expression. In her experience, Natsuki would have been fuming and blushing to beat the band at this stage. She shook her head and watched the world float by backwards.

They continued on for a while, listening to the rhythmic swish of the oars through the water and the little splashes as droplets of water fell from the raised blades. Mikoto spotted some ducks and growled at them softly, causing Mai to reach back and tug her ankle.

"You know, sometimes I wish you had a tail. It'd be pretty useful." Mikoto agreed and Shizuru laughed softly.

It was good to see at least some people acting like they normally did.

_+Especially considering, dear reader, that Natsuki hadn't fallen in. She'd jumped in when informed by Mai that whoever fetched her a flower from the shore of the river would be granted a favour. She'd been aiming this offer at a nearby boat full of young, attractive men. Natsuki had presumed that a favour from Mai would entail getting her laundry done for a fortnight and not the kiss to the cheek she'd received._

_All would have been well, if Natsuki hadn't pulled herself into the boat with another flower, a spare, tucked into the back of her uniform which both Mai and Shizuru Viola had spotted at the same time._

??

Elsewhere, Major Chie Hallard was stretched out on a picnic blanket, twirling a daisy between her forefinger and thumb, watching Aoi sunbathe. She lifted her glasses off and placed them on top of the picnic basket, leaning over her lover.

Slowly, careful not to cast a shadow on her eyes, lest those pale cheeks be deprived of the luxuriant eyelashes resting atop them, she began threading daisies into Aoi's hair. She hummed softly and found herself thinking some uncharacteristically soppy thoughts.

"Chie?" she muttered. "Are you fiddling with my hair?"

"Flowers attract the happy graces, my love, they turn back from a bare head," she grinned. "Why do you think I always carry them?"

Aoi opened her eyes and investigated her hair, frowning at her cheerful companion. "I'd have thought you would have wanted to attract the virtues, or needed to at least."

Chie pouted and leaned in over Aoi's face, eyes dark and filled with mischief. "And why on earth would I want to attract any woman but you?"

Aoi giggled and wrapped her arms around Chie's neck.

"Ah, why indeed?"

And thus, the great riverside public display of affection began. Or rather, it would have, if Mikoto hadn't thrown a clump of pond weed onto Chie's back.

Aoi was quite startled when her amorous companion leapt up, clawing at her buttons to get her jacket off, reeling off swear words like a maniac.

"Ara, Chie-san and Aoi-san," Shizuru commented, the only person in the gondola not howling with laughter.

"Shizuru-san," Aoi said, nodding her head in greeting and sitting up. She brushed her skirt off and made her way down to the river. "It's very nice to meet you," she said once she was close enough to be sure her voice wouldn't carry. She bowed a small bow that Shizuru mirrored as best she could while seated.

"Who threw that?" Chie demanded, slightly red in the face but smiling again. "Do you know how easily these damn shirts stain?"

"Don't tell me you're afraid of frogs, Chie-chan," Mai said, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.

"Not in the slightest. But I'm terrified of the dry cleaning bill," she pouted. "That was my favourite jacket and everything."

"At least you weren't in your uniform," Mai sympathised.

"She probably wouldn't have been canoodling on the bank if she had been in uniform," Mikoto said, grinning.

"Gakuenchou," Chie implored, "surely you can't be pelting every person you see on the bank with some sort of pond slime?"

Natsuki shrugged eloquently. "Only the ones I know."

??

Her Majesty Mashiro was not her usual chipper self. She wasn't even her usual cranky self, either. These facts did not sit well with her Otome.

Arika idly sipped her tea and watched Mashiro bustle with affairs of state, putting her signature to documents and catching up on paperwork. The TDP had, unfortunately, created a bit of a backlog. Sakomizu was speaking quietly to the young queen, handing over papers and generally making himself useful. Mashiro had thrown herself into the tedious work with gusto and did not seem inclined to slow at any moment.

Vying with the feeling of pride at her friend's display of reginal responsibility was the sensation of simultaneously slipping and drowning. Who would have thought that one kiss (or, if she were to be honest with herself, a series of kisses) could have thrown such a spanner in the works? She bit back a lonely sigh and tried to keep her eye out for murderers, traitors, deviants and assassins.

Caught in an unduly melodramatic mood, she wondered if she counted as any of the above.

She stifled a sighed and adjusted the folds of her dress, wondering what her mother would say about the whole affair. If she was anything like her grandmother, she'd probably have smacked Arika on the back of the head and told her to remember that commoners had no reason to be smooching monarchs.

She'd been doing her best to avoid Mashiro, to put off the inevitable discussion or the unavoidable argument. After all, Mashiro had every reason to be annoyed. Not only had she taken liberties with the young queen, she'd done it while said queen was exhausted and slightly drunk. Any reasonable person wouldn't have refused affection, after all. It wasn't as if they weren't used to being near each other.

They were very used to it, in fact. They tended to spend more time in each others' personal space than out of it. Which would have been fine, if Arika hadn't gotten slightly too close. As far as she was concerned, kissing and smooching were for generally for lovers and not to be tossed around so casually, especially in their case.

Arika fiddled with her cuffs and felt a light blush rising. Someone spotting herself and Mashiro getting too close would not go down well with the public. They had only recently decided that the young woman was worthy to actually be their queen and to see her taking advantage of her Otome wouldn't gain her any support.

Which was, she acknowledged, fair enough. The people of Windbloom could have demanded that the entire monarchy be done away with. They'd kept it because they believed in Mashiro and her ability to do the memory of her (supposed) ancestors proud. Which involved, incidentally, keeping the lineage alive. Which required an heir.

She shook her head. She wasn't going to go down that path. That could wait until they were both a bit older.

She sighed again and thought she saw Mashiro stiffen. She sat up straighter and tried to look cheerful and eager to help. She hoped she didn't look as artificial as she felt.

Perhaps what bothered her most about the whole 'Kissing Thing' was that she knew, in her heart, how heavily Mashiro relied on her. She knew the queen often skidded close to the edge of collapse and that it was her duty to make sure she never went over that edge. She'd scooped her up at the end of the day, tucked her into bed and kept her safe. They'd developed a tight bond, one of easy intimacy. At times, it felt as if it was them against the rest of the world.

They had their little jokes, their private conversation was often conspiratorial, filled with little secrets and references that no one else understood. Arika had been finding it easier to cheer Mashiro up after bad days as they spent more time together. She'd been making her happy with little things and she'd messed it up by doing something very big.

So, how to fix things. Another big thing or lots of little things? She was tempted to carry on doing the littlest thing possible (nothing) and see if the situation fixed itself.

After all, it wasn't as if she really wanted to kiss Mashiro again. Or do anything else with her.

Much.

She swallowed thickly. How did she keep managing to get herself into complicated situations?

"Arika?"

The Otome jerked out of her reverie, blinking owlishly.

"Huh?" she said, eloquently. Sakomizu was frowning at her and Mashiro, her seat turned to half face her, was shaking her head sadly.

"I was asking what you thought about Fujino," Mashiro said.

"Oh," Arika said, relieved. "Well, she seemed lovely. She was very smart."

Mashiro nodded slowly, studying a sheet in front of her, not looking directly at Arika. "I really don't think it's a good idea bringing these people over. It made me nervous, having her there. I mean, what did we really know about her?"

"Um, that she's a HiME, like Mikoto, from the Uberworld... That she's a friend of Kuga Natsuki's," she said, quietly. She could have sworn that Mashiro blushed.

"She acts like a politician or a noble woman," she muttered. "But she says she's only a student. It doesn't make sense."

Arika shrugged, feeling brave and wandering over to help Sakomizu gather up random pages. "Well, you're always asking me to act more mannerly," she said, trying to catch Mashiro's bright eyes with her own. "I mean, I thought you'd appreciate someone with a touch of class."

Mashiro sat, staring dumbly for a few minutes before cracking a small smile. She shook her head and went back to finishing her paper work, clucking her tongue. Arika grinned.

Little things.

??

That evening, Natsuki was busy applying after sun to her face and cursing her pale complexion. She wasn't badly burned, thankfully, but if she wasn't careful, she was going to peel. Still slightly light headed from the afternoon sun, she made her way through the living room and out onto the balcony, pausing to nod at Shizuru.

"Did you enjoy the day?" she asked, pouring herself a glass of water.

"Very much so. Thank you," she said. She turned and watched as Natsuki sprawled out in a lounger beside her, glowing slightly.

"You should have let me put sun cream on you," she teased. Natsuki opened a bleary eye and nodded in agreement.

"I completely forgot about it. It's the first good weather we've had this year and it wasn't very hot," she muttered, glaring at the sky, as if willing it the reds and oranges of sunset to fade quicker. She turned to look at Shizuru and noticed that she was looking at her strangely.

"What's wrong, Fujino?" she asked, concern in her eyes.

"Nothing, Kruger-san. I've just never seen Natsuki with sunburn before, is all. It's quite cute."

Kruger probably blushed, it was hard to tell, but Shizuru thought she saw her twitch around the eyebrow. She smiled in satisfaction. Finally.

"I'm not young enough to be cute. I'm a grizzled old woman, compared to you," she said, glaring with mock severity. She found it quite endearing to have the young woman around, if she were honest with herself. She had at her disposal a Shizuru who was ignorant of her bad luck and lengthy list of embarrassments suffered, which was surprisingly soothing to the ego. It was nice to be the older, (presumably) more mature half of a conversation for once.

"Ara, you're not that much older than me, are you?" Shizuru asked, smiling.

"You should never bug someone about their age. I'm old enough to vote, how's that?"

"Are you old enough to buy alcohol?"

"Ha! I'm well past that stage, thank the founder." She rolled onto her stomach and smiled with nostalgia. "Viola used to give out to me for sneaking into the college bar with her and having beer."

"That's shocking behaviour," Shizuru said, trying to banish the smile from her lips. "I'm shocked that anyone like me would let you get away with it."

Natsuki shrugged. "Well, it's like I said back then; If I'm old enough to..."

"If you're old enough to what?" she asked, curiosity piqued. Natsuki was definitely blushing this time and was trying to avoid Shizuru's curious stare. So much for not embarrassing herself

"You're definitely not old enough to hear about _that_," she muttered.

Shizuru laughed and lay back in the recliner, warmth suffusing her. The last of the sun's heat was departing and she felt relaxed for the first time in months. Natsuki asked her about how she'd enjoyed the dinner with Mashiro and she'd regaled her with tales of her own Mashiro, as well as the underclassman who looked suspiciously like Arika.

"And the HiME system?" Natsuki asked. "What's it like?" Her voice was inquisitive and had a childish eagerness to it. Shizuru smiled sadly and looked over at the other woman.

"It's terrible. It gives power to people and it ruins them. Your Otome system sounds far better; people being trained to use their powers for good."

Natsuki shrugged. "Power isn't good or bad. We do our best, but what really keeps the Otome from doing damage is the fact that they risk killing their masters if they fail."

Shizuru shook her head. "It's a foolish system then. But at least, I suppose, they know what to expect," she said, trying to keep the bitterness from her voice.

Natsuki leaned forward and blinked at Shizuru. "When Kuga was here, Shizuru, my Shizuru, talked to her a lot. She hated the HiME system too, it seems."

My Shizuru. Shizuru closed her eyes and sat up. "I suppose she did. If you'll excuse me, Kruger-san, it's been a very long day and I'm very tired." She smiled and stood.

She was not, she decided, going to indulge an in-depth comparison of the HiME and Otome systems; there was too much there that she didn't want aired. This Natsuki Kruger was getting under her skin in all sorts of unexpected ways and she was not happy with the effect the principal was having on her. She felt able to tell this woman things that would have sent her own Natsuki fleeing and, much to her surprise, she wanted to. She wasn't able to ease the tension with teasing or change the subject with a flirtatious remark; Kruger had obviously been building an immunity for the past decade.

Also, she realised with a pang, the little personal things that she'd known about her Natsuki, that had been so important in securing a toe hold in conversation with the reticent girl, were absent. She was at a distinct disadvantage because, for once, she was much more uncomfortable around Natsuki than Natsuki was around her. A level playing field was essential for a trusting, mature relationship, she thought, but she preferred having things tipped in her own favour.

This woman, she had realised that morning in the boat, was not the lost little puppy she'd taken Kuga Natsuki for. She was a responsible woman in a mature, stable relationship and she didn't have demons pulling and pushing her in every direction. She seemed to solid and reliable compared to Kuga Natsuki and she found, for the first time in her life, herself craving succour.

How was it that things appeared so straight forward between these two? The pictures on the wall, the anecdotes she'd heard all told a story of an idiosyncratic but strong relationship. They'd been through awful times, they'd fought a war against a machine capable of unknown destructive capabilities, and survive together. Was the woman on the balcony the real Kuga Natsuki? One without the pain of the Carnival?

It hadn't been the Carnival, she thought miserably. It had been her all along. Her own Natsuki had survived abandonment, the death of her mother, the loss of friends and the destruction of her beloved lingerie collection. Had the things she'd done, the person she'd become, been too much for Natsuki to bear? She heard Kruger follow her into the room and nearly leapt out of her skin when she took her elbow.

"Fujino," she asked gently, "what's wrong? I'm sorry if I offended you."

"I'm not offended, Kruger-san, you must be mistaken," she gently took her elbow away and tried not to flinch at the hurt look on Natsuki's face. The thought that she'd been wrong about the puppy thing flashed through her mind.

"Don't lie, please," she said, a touch sadly, "this is hard enough for me too, you know. I don't want to see you upset. Surely you wouldn't want to see your own Kuga upset?" she asked with a lopsided smile.

Shizuru shook her head, cold now that she was in out of the late evening sunshine. "She isn't my Kuga. She never has been," she said, aiming for wry, hitting desolate.

She walked back over to the photograph wall and looked up at all the evidence of happiness. It was fascinating. Her throat constricted at the sight of Viola and Kruger, about her own age, embracing fondly and she felt suddenly angry. Who were they, who was Natsuki to constantly offer her glimpses of contentment and peace only to rip it away? She frowned as something occurred to her.

"Kruger-san, do you remember anything about appearing in my world, at all?" she asked, her eyes moving to a framed picture of a much younger Mai and Natsuki.

"A picnic, I think. It was a nice day and I was sitting right beside you. I saw you there, very clearly."

Shizuru shook her head in defeat. "How good to know. How cruel."

Natsuki was taken aback. "Cruel?"

"Natsuki, she was acting so strangely that afternoon..."

Kruger took a few steps towards Shizuru and sighed. "Disoriented? Confused? Grumpy?"

"Affectionate."

Natsuki paused and felt her mouth drop open. Surely that wasn't a bad thing?

"Um, I'm sorry, if she did anything inappropriate! We didn't realise that the Harmonium could have such effects! It didn't affect me in the same manner at all."

Whatever happened, she vowed, Nao would never hear of this.

Shizuru frowned. "No, she did nothing inappropriate. Just out of character." She felt quite uncomfortable discussing this with Natsuki's doppelganger but the naked, unassuming pathos in her eyes, the unflinching affection, drew her in.

"She can be inclined to pull away from the most casual touch. She didn't. It was as simple as that but," she felt Natsuki pause in her approach, "but it didn't last. It was another bit of false hope."

Hope? Natsuki thought about the situation and suddenly realised that while they'd all presumed that the pair of them were in some sort of straight forward relationship, they clearly weren't. There was nothing like false hope for crushing your spirit, Natsuki knew that better than most. For the first time since meeting Fujino, she wondered if they hadn't made a bigger mistake than they'd thought possible.

Shizuru, her own lover, had told her that while Kuga was indeed in love with Fujino, she was afraid of expressing it, for reasons that weren't entirely clear. Upon discussion, they'd come to the conclusion that Natsuki style emotional constipation was one more thing that was pan dimensional. It suddenly seemed as if the situation was much more complicated.

She sighed and stepped a bit closer, wanting to pull the young woman into her arms and tell her it would be all right, knowing that there was little that she could do that would be more cruel

"Look, it might not be any of my business, but surely, you should talk to her."

Shizuru laughed a hollow laugh and wrapped her arms around herself. "It isn't that easy, Kruger-san. She hates me. She only puts up with me because we have so much of a shared past."

Natsuki sighed and shook her head. "I doubt that, somehow. The only clear thing I remember from that world is your face. Kuga was looking right at you." She wasn't about to tell her that she was privy to some other facts, she doubted the young woman would even believe her.

Shizuru shrugged. "And because she was looking at me, I should tell her all manner of things?"

Natsuki paused, surprised by the tension in Shizuru's shoulders. "You should tell her. It's obviously eating you up. You can't bear to look at me and I'm not even her."

Shizuru closed her eyes, her brow furrowing against the tears that threatened. "No, you're certainly not her. She wouldn't have agreed to this business of bringing people out of their own world just to satisfy her curiosity."

Kruger bit down on her shock and annoyance and shook her head. "We needed to do this to make sure there's no risk to our own world or yours. That damn Harmonium destroyed this place once already, we don't want it to do it again. You're an intelligent woman, we explained this all to you already. We had diagrams!"

Shizuru sighed, deflated and sat down. "It's still not fair, Kruger-san."

"We're not treating you badly, are we?" she asked pleadingly, taking a seat beside her. "And it's only for two days. Please, you've done us a great favour."

"It's not just that," she said quietly. "You have no idea what it's like for me here."

"Right," Kruger said, quiet for a moment, gathering her wits. "I don't think she hates you at all, Fujino."

Shizuru sighed and turned teary eyes to Kruger. "Please, call me Shizuru," she asked, in a lonely voice.

"Call me Natsuki, then. It's weird to hear you calling me Kruger. You generally only do that if I'm in trouble," she said, a small smile on her face.

She was quite distraught to note that her little joke had the effect of causing Shizuru's face to fall in a paroxysm of grief. Tears pooled in her eyes and Natsuki turned to face her more fully, taking her hands between her own.

"Ah, now, please, Shizuru, don't be upset! Whatever I did, I'm sorry."

That statement had the effect of breaking the dam on Shizuru's tears. They rolled down her cheeks and splashed onto Natsuki's hands. "It's not fair," she said in a choked voice. There it was, laid in front of her and destined for someone else. Natsuki's hands were strong and sure, steady and warm around her fingers, stability in a sliding rush of emotion.

Natsuki, acting on some fairly finely tuned instincts for coping with an upset Shizuru, carefully gathered the young woman in her arms and kissed the top of her head, rubbing her back. Shizuru grabbed her jacket and clung to the lapels, sobbing in grief. After a long while her sobs trailed off and Natsuki handed her a handkerchief. Shizuru dried her eyes and blew her nose, cheeks and eyes red from crying. Embarrassment flooding her mind, she tried to put space between herself and Natsuki, but the older woman was having none of it.

"Tell me what's wrong, Shizuru, please," she murmured, tucking Shizuru's head under her chin, amazed at how small and delicate this woman was compared to her own Viola.

After a long silence Shizuru took a breath and let herself relax more fully against Natsuki, gripping her jacket again.

"It's not fair to have to see this world, where Natsuki and I are together and then have to go back to where I don't have her. It's not fair to send me back to where I can't have you."

Natsuki sighed. "I didn't want to send Shizuru. I really didn't. I was out voted. I'm sorry, Shizuru, I really am. But you can fight for your Natsuki, can't you? She does love you, I think. She'd be a fool not too."

Shizuru, tired and puffy-eyed, shook her head. It was so easy, she thought, so straight forward to talk about these things with Kruger. She was very sure, though, that talking about them with Kuga would not be quite so simple. And there was the rub. She was laying her heart bare to the wrong Natsuki.

She curled herself against Kruger, taking in the fresh scent of her clothes and pushing the thought from her head. "I never wanted to tell her all those things. I didn't want her to know about those desires. They're not right."

Natsuki frowned and continued her smoothing of Shizuru's hair. "Because you were friends before hand? Because you fought during the HiME thing?"

"Yes. And because we're both girls."

Natsuki drew back suddenly and frowned down at Shizuru. "What the hell difference does that make? You're not seeing anyone else, either of you, right?"

"It doesn't make a difference. I don't want Natsuki to become that kind of person, for me."

Natsuki's frown deepened. "What kind of person?" What rubbish was she talking about?

Shizuru shot her a look. "Don't your parents mind that you're living with another woman? That you'll never get married?"

"I am married. Technically. For all intents and purposes," Natsuki said, wondering what that had to do with anything. "And no, it doesn't bother them at all. It doesn't bother Shizuru's family either, before you ask."

Shizuru stared at Natsuki in shock, now sitting bolt upright on the sofa. "You're married?"

Natsuki nodded, frowned, and then shook her head. "A marriage is a religious ceremony but neither Shizuru or myself are particularly religious. We never did anything like walk up an aisle, but we're legally recognised as each other's spouses. The majority of people do that, rather than marry, in Windbloom at least."

"To other women?"

"And to men, of course."

Shizuru blinked and looked back at Natsuki. "I don't know how to explain what it's like where I'm from. I wouldn't know where to start. Natsuki and I would not be allowed to be married to one another, in any shape or form. My family expect me to marry a man and have children. If I don't find a suitable one for myself, they will."

"That's a fairly big expectation," Natsuki mumbled. "Are you the only child in your family?"

"I am. Natsuki's family doesn't spare much thought for her, but I am sure they wouldn't be best pleased either. So, it would have been better for her had I not told her those things. We can't go down that road," she said, sadly. "Society would not treat either of us well."

Natsuki shook her head angrily. "Society can go fuck itself," she muttered. Shizuru smiled at the expletive. Some things never changed.

"People are killed, lose their jobs and their families because they love people of the same gender, in my world. I won't expose Natsuki to that. Or myself."

Natsuki stood, pacing the floor. "Well, what about when she falls in love with another woman, after you've rejected her? She'll still be at risk. My god, do they really kill people for something so ridiculous? Granted, there are parts of this world where they wouldn't like that sort of thing, but they don't like any kind of sex that doesn't lead to babies. But they're just nuts, anyway, and no one listens to them," she babbled.

What had she done? What if Shizuru's trip was different and she ended up spending more time in that world? Had she sent Shizuru into a snake pit where the slightest foot (or, rather, hand) out of line would amount to her signing her own death warrant?

Shizuru frowned at the odd behaviour and cleared her throat, continuing. "There are parts of my world where the opposite is true. The laws vary from country to country," she said, trying to calm Kruger. "There are, apparently, areas in cities where communities have established themselves." It was a slightly lame coda; both she and Kruger were well aware of that. If Fujino lived in such a place then surely they wouldn't have been having the same conversation.

Kruger shot her a look. "Communities? You make it sound like they're in ghettos."

Natsuki sighed and sat down beside Shizuru again, regarding her with sympathy. "I'm sorry, Shizuru. None of us knew your world had attitudes like that." She leaned forward and took Shizuru's hands, musing over how different they were from her own lover's. "But you can't deny who you love. I don't really believe in anything, a higher power, but what else could explain you and Kuga knowing each other, just like me and my Shizuru. It must be fate."

Shizuru smiled a wobbly smile and her eyes dropped to her hands as well. "I'm less hot headed than her. I should be the responsible one. I don't want to send her down a road to heartache. Not after everything else I did to her." She closed her eyes, feeling tears prickle again.

"Oh god, how could she forgive me? How can it not be wrong? What I feel for her? I love her so much and it just hurts her. I'm not strong enough to face this."

Natsuki took Shizuru's chin in her hand and smiled fondly. She was back on firmer footing again, being well used to dealing with teenage histrionics. "You are strong enough. Stop playing the martyr here. If you two love each other, and I have no doubt you do, then it will all work out."

"That's easy for you to say," Shizuru said moodily. Natsuki wiped the few stray tears from her cheeks and twitched her eyebrows.

"I suppose. Please, don't be upset, I can't stand to see you upset," she said, ghosts of past fights and talks coming to light. She hadn't seen Shizuru cry like this in many years. Any version of her.

"You'll be home tomorrow and you can take the first steps forward."

"You don't know what I've done."

"But she does?"

"She does."

"And she's already forgiven you?" Natsuki asked, "for all that happened?"

"She says she has, but she's so uncomfortable around me."

Natsuki shrugged one shoulder. "If she's anything like me, she's pretty stubborn. You know, she might not be worth all the fuss, seriously. I'm not that great a catch."

Shizuru laughed a small laugh. "I thought you said it was fate?"

"Hmm. I'm still not sure I believe in it." Her hand still on Shizuru's chin, she ran her thumb over her cheek gently. "My, you look just like she did when she was younger. I can guarantee you'll age gracefully."

"Thank God for small mercies," she said, leaning towards Natsuki.

"Ah, another thing against Kuga is that in about ten or twelve years, she'll look like me."

Shizuru laughed again. "You have a better sense of humour than she does. She takes things too seriously."

Kuga wrapped an arm around Shizuru and pulled her into a tight embrace. "Well, I try to too, when I'm in public." She'd realised, many years previous, that she was allowed to act like a sentimental fool around Shizuru. She'd come to regard it as quite a luxury.

Shizuru sighed, inhaling Natsuki's scent, enjoying the embrace this time around. She yawned and buried her head in Kruger's shoulder.

"Come on, it's time to sleep," Natsuki said, "you have an early start in the morning."

Shizuru gripped the coat and sighed. "Let me stay here, please. Just for tonight. Can I just pretend that you're my Natsuki?"

Natsuki blushed slightly and shook her head. "You're not trying to seduce a married woman," she said, slightly nervously. "Are you?"

Shizuru flushed as well. "Let me just be near you, without you being embarrassed, for once."

Natsuki sighed and nodded. "All right then," she said, scooping Shizuru up in her arms, shocking her.

"Natsuki!"

"What?" she asked, nonplussed, "you're not that heavy. And I refuse to sleep on the couch. Again."

??

Nao sat, chewing on the end of her pen, reading by the low light of her desk lamp. She underlined a word, then made a note of it in a hard back notebook, humming to herself. She was woefully under prepared for her next tutorial with Donnell. She suspected that with another fit of roaring, the old bat might actually finally keel over and bite the dust.

At long last.

Nao sighed and reread the passage, suddenly noticing that every time she read it, more words seemed to become meaningless. She shut the book with a grunt and threw it and the notebook towards the back of her desk. She flicked her lamp off and clambered up into her bed, tossing herself onto her back and studying the ceiling with a new found intensity.

If only she'd been able to pay such close attention to her school work.

Truth be told, her mind was occupied with analysing and recollecting the events of the informal meal with Fujino, Mashiro and assorted others. She'd spent most of the time studying the unwitting visitor and had reached some unsettling conclusions.

The girl had seemed completely at ease. She'd been eloquent when asked about her own world and gracious in her enquiries into the one she was visiting. She'd been thoughtful and sanguine.

Which, of course, left Nao slightly off balance. Kuga had been awkward and moody, concealing her anger with little grace. Nao would have been willing to write the experience off to differences in personality if it hadn't been for the subtle, blink and you miss it glances that Fujino had been sending her way.

There'd been something guarded, something almost predatory in that gaze. It had reminded her of the air of discomfort that had surrounded Kuga. Realising that it had indeed been aimed at her had been surprising and she wondered what kind of a person the Nao in that world was.

She also realised that Fujino and Kuga had been through the same experiences. And that while Kuga was acting as if she'd been through hell and back, Fujino was acting as if she'd suffered slight discomfort, at worst.

The hint, made every so often, that Fujino was sizing Nao up for battle was familiar but threaded with an unfamiliar malice. Viola was more likely to grope an opponent during battle (unless, of course, they happened to be male) than actually injure them. The hint of viciousness floating beneath the urbane, sophisticated facade unnerved Nao.

What kind of a world, exactly, were they from? She knew that Haruka and Natsuki were both very wary of Fujino, scared of her, even. She suspected that Viola hadn't been entirely honest with them about everything that Kuga had told them and decided that herself and the rest of the Columns needed a nice, long chat.

She rolled onto her stomach and frowned. Whatever was going on, it couldn't be good. She closed her eyes for a moment, remembering how gentle Natsuki had been with Fujino; how she'd hovered around here as if the young woman was her Master. If she'd fussed around Viola in the same manner, she would have earned herself a smack.

Perhaps Kruger had seen something no one else had, then. Maybe there was more to be learned from this tale than the fact that no matter what the universe, Natsuki would always have her Shizuru to look after her.

Perhaps.

Nao closed her eyes and sighed. What kind of a mess had they gotten themselves into?

??

Shizuru woke with her head pillowed on Natsuki's chest, listening to the steady, slow beat of her heart. Natsuki had one arm wrapped around her back, resting on her waist. She sighed and closed her eyes, stretching out before curling back around Natsuki. She did her best not to think about the last time she'd been around a sleeping Natsuki and what she'd done. She tried to forget the overwhelming compulsion to reach out to her, to take what she wanted.

To have her all to herself.

The alien memories, so obtrusive and unnatural, mocked her. Everything she'd thought about love, every noble and pure thing, had been washed away by that act. She tried to console herself with the knowledge that it hadn't been like it was her, at all. It had felt like another force was driving her. It had been like a dream, in many ways. A clear, lucid dream where the things she wanted were hers for the taking without any of the consequences of the waking world. Like a dream, where she was driven by the urge to satisfy her base desires.

But who'd believe that, upon waking beside Natsuki in the church at that moment, she'd hated herself for all that she'd done? She'd awoken to the adult world where love was more than fumblings in a dream. She'd woken to a world where love not only had a name, but had her own feelings, opinions and personality. If the last few months were anything to judge by, those feelings had been soured and the opinions irrevocably changed. Why then, had Natsuki forgiven her so easily? What had made her do it?

Or, she wondered, had Natsuki forgiven her at all? Had she lied to avoid discussing the subject? Did she still hate her? she squeezed her eyes shut against the thought.

The steady susurrous of Kruger's breathing was heavy and loud in the still room, bordering on snoring. This Natsuki had no compunctions about sharing herself fully; she was honest and open and clearly loved Viola very much. Which made the realisation, when it came, that she didn't deserve such love all the more crushing.

Kruger was a wave of icy water, waking her to the knowledge that she and Kuga Natsuki had no future. Instead of finding hope in her arms, she realised that the peace between them during the interim since the Carnival was frighteningly artificial. It wasn't real.

Why had she never seen that before?

She trembled and clung to the woman beside her, squeezing her eyes shut against the madness that threatened to overwhelm her.

A steady, slow hand ran up and down her spine a few times before eventually finding her shoulders and neck, rubbing at sore, tension filled spots. She looked up and saw sleepy, affectionate eyes regarding her with a soft question.

"I'm fine, Natsuki. Just memories." She curled back against Natsuki, burying her face in her shoulder. Who would have imagined, given the opulence of Garderobe, that its Gakuenchou would wear flannel pyjamas?

"Miserable bastards that they are, eh?" she mumbled sleepily. "Go back to sleep, we have another hour yet."

Shizuru felt her throat convulse, a feeling of gratitude spreading throughout her.

Even if it was all going to be ripped from her, all this happiness, and she was bound to return to a world where here desires could get her annihilated, in every sense of the word, then at least she'd have this memory. Even if Natsuki never spoke to her again, damned her for what she'd done, then she'd console herself with the knowledge that somewhere, she was being held close by the woman she loved.

??

"Well, Youko-sensei, did you find out what you needed to?" Natsuki asked, glaring at the Harmonium with venom.

"I think so," she said, nodding towards a stack of data. "We've been able to document its behaviour during the swaps quite well." Youko turned to Shizuru and smiled in gratitude. "Many apologies for bringing you here, but it has helped. We need to shut this down, once and for all."

Shizuru nodded. "I understand. What do I do now?"

"Just head to the steps and wait. When the peak happens, you'll be home," the doctor said.

"We hope," Mashiro muttered. Arika elbowed her in the ribs and glared.

"It was good meeting you, Shizuru-san. I hope you liked Windbloom."

"Thank you, Arika-san. I enjoyed meeting you, too."

"The peak will occur in five minutes," Youko said before retreating to Irina and the vast pile of technology heaped around her.

Natsuki walked up to the young woman and put an arm on her shoulder. "Come on, it's time to get you back home."

Shizuru's eyes, a rich and unusual colour, were glassy with sorrow as she looked at the remains of the Harmonium. "I honestly hope this has been of use to you, Kruger-san." She said, turning to Natsuki. "It was an interesting place to visit."

Natsuki sighed and wrapped her arms around Shizuru, surprising her slightly. Shizuru buried her face once again in the crook of Natsuki's neck and inhaled deeply, wanting to indelibly mark her mind with the memory of this moment.

Natsuki frowned, sorrowful and sympathetic as Shizuru trembled in her arms. She drew her as close as she could manage, pausing only when Shizuru gave a small grunt of displeasure.

She drew back and brushed the hair back from Shizuru's face, wistfully recalling her own past. This young woman, she knew, had the power to move mountains in her baby finger, Robe or not.

"Take care of yourself, Shizuru," she said. Carefully, almost chastely, she dropped a kiss on Shizuru's lips, lingering for half of a second. The young woman looked shocked and flushed a particularly attractive shade of pink.

"It's time to go," Natsuki said, with a touch of regret. Youko nodded and held two fingers up. Natsuki gave Shizuru one last squeeze and set her on her way.

"Well," Nao said, blinking slowly after watching the spectacle, "and there was me telling Viola not to cheat on you." She shook her head at Natsuki and smiled ruefully up at Shizuru, feeling quite guilty for her less than generous opinions of the previous night. The woman on the steps looked terribly vulnerable, as if a cross word from Natsuki would break her in half and not at all like some sort of violent maniac.

"Good luck, Fujino," the redhead said, meaning it. She stole a glance at Natsuki and saw her gazing sadly, regretfully up at the still young woman.

Later, when asked, she'd say she hadn't minded not getting a response from the girl. Those strange eyes had locked onto Natsuki's and not wavered. Many years later, she'd admit that she would have given anything to feel that kind of intimacy. To be lost in someone standing like a statue all the way across a dark chamber while half a dozen people loitered around.

??

Shizuru reached her hand out to steady herself against the wall, dizzy. She blinked in disorientation, the familiar surroundings of her apartment resolving themselves around her. She rubbed her eyes and frowned.

Windbloom?

She touched her lips, still feeling the ghostly warmth of Kruger's lips on hers. She could still hear her heart thumping under her ear; still recall the scent of her hair.

There was a knock at the door and she closed her eyes tightly, wishing against all hope to keep those memories intact. The door opened and Natsuki stuck her head in, concern lighting her eyes. She kicked off her shoes and rushed to Shizuru's side, asking if she was all right.

The memory of soft lips and the damp warmth of breath on her face flooded her memory; tangible and palpable in the early evening air. She had taken Natsuki's face between her hands and kissed her before the other young woman realised what was happening.

Tomorrow, I'll give her up

Natsuki, for her part, had stood frozen in shock, hot lips moving over her own. Wet heat played at the edge of her mouth and she'd gasped, throwing her arms around Shizuru and pushing her back against the wall, drinking in her moans and gasps.

Perhaps the day after tomorrow...

Drum roll, please!

**The University of Wind City is pleased to present a comedy penned by the very talented Shigan. All auditions to be held in the Grand Auditorium on Friday from nine in the morning**

**No previous acting experience necessary**

**No ticket sellers or collectors, please**

Viola: So, nothing really happened?

Kruger: I swear, damn it Shizuru would you just trust me?!

Viola: So why are there chestnut hairs on the pillows and your pyjamas then? We sent them off to laundry the day I went didn't we?

Kruger: ...

Viola: Did you do something like this?

Kruger: YIIIKES!!

Nao: _hands script back to a classmate_ No, I can't help you go over your lines. It'd just be too weird.

Classmate: I would have thought you'd support my thespian endeavours!

Nao: glares Shut the hell up.


	3. Exit, followed by a Krugerhund

Please see part one for disclaimer. And many thanks to those that took the time to point out the formatting errors. Hopefully they're gone now. I hope.

??

_The fact remains that the role of the Harmonium in the Twelve Kingdom War is not well documented. The disastrous effects, however, are indelibly marked into the landscape. From the rugged, chilled steppe of the furthest reaches of Artai to the mysterious archipelagos off the coast of Zipang, the land holds memory and secrets. To what extent has the landscape influenced modern thought? To what extent have the different taphonomic processes in various countries shaped our record of the past? To what extent can we trust available records and our translations of them?_

_It is a fact that as humanity moves through time, we alter history; twisting it for political uses and filling in gaps to the best of our collective ability. As such, it is essential for an empirical record to be made of the present state of the landscape as it has been changed by the most recent use of the Harmonium. The establishment of an empirical record will benefit not only the state but all states; friend and foe._

_As such, it is with a humble nod towards my previous works (such as the nine volume "Economic History of Windbloom: A Study in Class and Linguistics with Special Reference to Classical Poetry") that I request the Royal Academic Grant for Large and Expensive Projects to be used to establish an international archive._

_Yours thanks in advance,_

_Professor Baroness Nimo Bawn Donnell, ARCOG, RHSW, IAH, IACP, AA, Ph.D., MPhil., M.A., M.O.G._

_Excerpt from the nine page application letter for the Royal Academic Grant for Large and Expensive Projects sent from Nimo Donnell. Rejected by Her Majesty Mashiro Blan de Windbloom._

??

**One year before the events of the start of Relocation, soon after the events of Mai Otome Zwei.**

Irina Woods, newly appointed student teacher in charge of technology and fixing things, adjusted her glasses and grinned widely, putting the final touches to the display. She stood back, allowing Mashiro to sit down, watching the queen peering distrustfully at the screen.

"Ok, so what does it do?"

Irina cleared her throat and motioned to the keyboard. "It's a new form of communication. All you have to do is type what you want President Chrysant to see in there and hit return."

Mashiro looked very dubious but typed in a quick hello. A few seconds later, there was a response.

"So that's Yukino?" she asked, dubious.

"Yes, it is."

"And this is better than telephones?"

Irina looked a bit perturbed and glanced at Youko. "Well, it allows you to send data over the connection, too. And it's secure. Only a very small number of people can use it."

Arika didn't seem to get it either, but leaned over Mashiro's shoulder. The queen tapped in a message and hit return.

"Wow, President Chrysant types pretty quickly."

"What are you calling it?" Mashiro asked, peering at the reply.

"We're going to call it the International Royal Communication protocol. We're also thinking of implementing a civilian version, on different servers. That way, anyone with a computer could connect and talk to people all over the world. We've been using a beta version of it to communicate with some people in the IT department in Cardair University College and it's been pretty useful."

"Wouldn't letting students near it make it less Royal?" Mashiro asked, scooting over in the chair as Arika started typing enthusiastically. Apparently, Haruka had taken over the keyboard in Aries.

"It would use different servers, Your Majesty. There'd be very tight security on them."

Youko nodded from the corner. "We think it could be a good way of maintaining good relations with the rest of the world."

Mashiro shrugged. "I don't think it'll catch on." She suddenly wondered if awarding the Royal Academic Grant for Large and Expensive Projects to the pair had been a good idea at all. At least if she'd given it to Nimo Donnell, she wouldn't have to suffer through any more of the woman's grant proposals. She frowned at Arika and considered elbowing her Otome out of her way. "Now, what's next on the agenda? The Technological Education Hub: International Electronic Resource Web?"

"Ah, yes," Irina said quite proudly, "TEH IntERWeb!"

??

**Present Day**

Sarah Gallagher hummed tunelessly to herself as she made her way to Garderobe, enjoying the early autumn sun. People paused and touched their hats as she went, smiling when she acknowledged them. A wide grin on her face, she was the picture of the calm, collected Column that the world expected to see. The confidence that she projected was a balm to the people she met, her unflappable nature absolute.

This was partly due to the fact that she hadn't actually read the brief that was tucked under her arm and was blissfully ignorant of what lay ahead.

Which was, honestly, the way she preferred it. Her only goal for the day was to evaluate the newest Column as a potential distraction from her dogged pursuit of her beloved Haruka. A momentary distraction, no doubt, but perhaps one worth the effort. She'd had her interest piqued the last few times she'd seen the young woman and was feeling self indulgent enough to see what happened.

Her pace quickened as she caught sight of the gates of Garderobe and she waved at students as she went. She adored the attention she was guaranteed during a visit and wondered if Natsuki would be putting her up in a dormitory guest room.

She could only hope.

"Sarah!" a voice called and her grin faded slightly. Damn. Maya.

The self appointed guardian of Otome virtue. She rolled her eyes and turned.

"Maya, good to see you," she said, honestly. She didn't particularly dislike Maya, she just found herself lacking the patience one needed for dealing with the self-righteous woman.

"Same to you. How go your efforts in Artai?"

Sarah shrugged. "Not too bad. They've finally got that whole IRC thing running properly in Frederick's Memorial University, which is helping people bridge the gap a bit. How's Cardair? Is Akane Soir still an Otome?"

The tanned Otome swung her face around, eyes narrowed dangerously. "I'm not even going to dignify that with a response, Sarah."

Maya sighed as the pair made their way to Natsuki's office, greeting respectful Corals and Pearls as they went. "Come along now. We have a lot to discuss."

Sarah shrugged and knocked on the door. "I guess we do."

They entered the room to find the other three Columns milling around the breakfast buffet idly. Natsuki welcomed them politely and they quickly took their seats.

"I trust you both had pleasant journeys, then?" Shizuru asked, kindly.

"Fine, fine," Sarah said. "Artai is restructuring itself well. The tribunals are proceeding nicely."

"And Cardair?"

"Oh, they're great in Cardair," Maya said, a wide grin on her face. "Kazuya's a legend already! The public sees him as the ultimate romantic prince, a real knight in shining armour. It's pretty funny."

Nao grinned wryly. "I bet Akane hates it, poor thing."

Natsuki shot her a look. "You sound so sympathetic, Juliet."

Shizuru lifted a hand. "Ladies, please. We have important matters to discuss."

"We certainly do," Maya agreed, sobering. "The Cardair TDP staff are really starting to chaff at the bit. The want to get at the Harmonium."

"Which could send any of them to another dimension," Natsuki muttered.

"What did Director Helene find?" Maya asked. Youko had spent the previous few months attempting to overload, and hopefully, sever the connection between the worlds. It had yet to work.

"Well, more of the same, really. We're linked to them and no one knows why or how."

"Or how to shut the link down," Shizuru said, solemnly. "Which we need to do, as soon as possible."

"So what now, then?" Nao asked, turning her steady gaze to Natsuki, all humour gone.

"We wait to see if the team in Nekogami Mountain finds anything, I suppose," Natsuki replied. "And we think of a Plan B. I still think that we should try not to make any more switches, unless they're absolutely necessary," she said firmly.

In the months that had passed since their last switch, when Shizuru Viola had been exchanged for a young woman named Fujino Shizuru, a joint team of Garderobe, Aswald, Arien, Cardarian and Windbloom engineers and scientists had been scouring over every scrap of technology in the former Black Valley. Given the sheer quantity of equipment and its antiquity, the going was slow indeed but promising.

"I see that Director Helene suggested keeping anyone who crosses over lightly sedated and confined to the palace," Maya commented, turning pages slowly. "That's not very ethical."

Nao frowned, ignoring this, and sipped her tea. "What I don't understand is why it only works one way. Does she know why yet? Any ideas?"

"No," Natsuki said quietly. "Which makes is more dangerous. What if they figure out how to come here? What if it's used to pave the way for an invasion force? From what Fujino said, it was a pretty nasty world," Natsuki shuddered at the memory. Shizuru reached over and took her hand gently, sighing.

"Is an invasion even a realistic possibility?" Sarah asked scornfully, scanning her own brief. "I mean, did Fujino have any prior knowledge of here?"

"No, none," Natsuki said. "Kuga never mentioned it, it would seem. She was acting differently, though, for a while."

"That's another point, you know," Nao mused. "Both Kuga and Suzushiro seemed pretty different by the end of their journeys. More relaxed, or something." She shrugged. "I've been trying to read up on cases where people were suddenly displaced without their prior consent. They didn't seem to act like you'd expect them to."

Shizuru shook her head. "I don't know if using analogous situations is going to help, Nao. And I wouldn't say Kuga-san was more relaxed, more resigned, perhaps. As if she was coming to terms with something."

The other four Columns knew exactly what that something was but were polite enough not to mention it. They were threading on slightly thin ice here. They'd tried to avoid actually talking about the people involved, out of some odd sense of responsibility to them, as if it would count as malicious gossip about their friends. It seemed the time for delicacy had passed.

"Fujino was the opposite," Natsuki said, frowning. "She became more and more upset the more she saw. She resented us for bringing her here."

Sarah chewed on her lip for a moment, thoughtful. "What about their GEM system?"

Natsuki shook her head. "It isn't a GEM system, they materialise naturally."

"Kuga made an offhand comment about the Robes looking weird, too. I wonder if they just summon weapons?" Nao mused.

"If they were like Mikoto, it would make sense," Natsuki muttered. "What worries me is the fact that whatever their version of certification is, it involves people close to them." She took a deep breath. "It didn't sound like it was a conscious decision, either. Their masters are the person most important to them and subject to the same kind of risks as masters under the Otome system."

"I doubt they had a clue when they formed the contracts, to be honest," Nao agreed. "From speaking to the Uberlanders."

Shizuru nodded. "Kuga-san said that she had killed Fujino-san. That they'd killed each other." The graceful woman bowed her head, gripping her partner's hand as she remembered the distraught look on Kuga's face when she'd told her tale.

"Except they were clearly alive here," Sarah pointed out, leaning forward and tapping one foot. "Living, breathing and everything."

"Perhaps she wasn't being literal," Maya suggested. "Who knows."

"One of the other HiMEs would know," Nao pointed out, raising her hands to quell the argument she knew was coming. "I know it's not ethical, but why not pull another one over?"

"Because we really don't know if there's any point, is why," Maya said, sitting up in her chair. "You can't be serious, Zhang."

"Not serious? I'd offer to go myself, but I'm kind of concerned about the kind of person that Uber Nao is," she shot back, grinning, "I wouldn't want to unleash her here."

"Kuga-san and Suzushiro-san were afraid or nervous around both of us, Nao-san. I don't think it will help matters if you do the swap. Uber Nao-san might not be the best conversationalist." Shizuru said, grimly.

"But neither was Fujino," Nao said slightly nervously, preparing to say something likely to get her in an awkward situation. She steeled her will and ploughed on. "I wouldn't have turned my back on her, to be honest. She seemed so weird. Schizoid." Viola nodded slowly, an unhappy expression on her face.

Natsuki frowned. "She did not. She was merely, I don't know, experiencing culture shock."

Sarah began tapping her other foot, anxious for a course of action to be decided. "The other two didn't."

"That's because they looked like they wouldn't have known culture if it smacked them in the mouth," Nao defended. "I don't know. That world sounds like a miserable dystopia. Maybe there was a war, or something, and Kuga and Fujino were star crossed lovers on opposite sides."

"How romantic," Maya said, mockingly.

"Look," Natsuki said, irritation spreading through her thought processes, "we're getting side tracked here. What matters is finding a way to shut the damn link down without destroying the world."

"Agreed." Sarah nodded, folding her arms. "But we're floundering in the dark here. I mean, we don't even know what we're looking for."

"This HiME thing is the key," Nao mused. "I'd have to agree with sending someone on a fact finding mission."

"Or rather, get someone here and interrogate them," Maya said, uneasily.

"No way," Natsuki said. "Not after what happened with Fujino. We'll find out some other way."

"Of course," Sarah said, her doubt at the chances of finding an alternative way clear in her voice, "but in the event that doesn't happen, who will we send?"

"Someone who we know was a HiME, obviously," Nao said, willing to volunteer despite her earlier assertions.

Natsuki shook her head in disbelief. "Myself and Shizuru are out. There's no way we're putting those two through that again. And we can't exactly send President Chrysant, can we?" she stood and stared out the window. "What do we know about the other HiME? Who were they?"

Nao took a sheet out of the folder in front of her and frowned at it. "From speaking to President Chrysant and your two doppelgangers, we managed to get a few more names. There was a Sister Yukariko, an Akane and a Midori. And Yukino, Mai and Mikoto."

"Yukariko's a fairly uncommon name. Could it be our own Steinberg?" Natsuki mused. "But we can hardly ask her to go, if anything happened, who the hell would teach the classes?" She shuddered at the thought of actually having to teach the pupils herself.

Shizuru shrugged gracefully. "Akira and Akane are both fairly common names. There're three Otome who graduated in the last two years called Akane."

"Besides, even if it is Soir, King Krau-Xeku wouldn't allow it," Maya said wryly. "He's pretty protective."

"I don't think I know any Akiras either. It couldn't be that Arika could it? Maybe there was a mix up."

"That's a bit far-fetched, Gakuenchou," Nao said. "Midori is probably the same leader of Aswald, though. I doubt we could get her to go."

"Who else?" Natsuki mused. "What about Major Hallard? Or Mashiro's maid; you mentioned that Kuga seemed to know them and Fujino certainly did." She didn't bother even mentioning Mashiro herself; it was tantamount to treason.

"Chie-chan's a possibility," Sarah agreed, "although if she wasn't a HiME, it's doubtful that she'd know anything. It's a pain," she said, puffing out her cheeks.

"Let's wait and speak to Miyu-san again and wait until the Nekogami Mountain team come back," Shizuru said diplomatically. "We can make a more educated decision with additional information."

"Between her and Mikoto, they might know something more," Maya agreed sullenly, still not keen on the idea of sending anyone over.

"I'm still tempted to just blast the whole thing to bits," the principal muttered, earning a reproachful look from Shizuru.

"Damn it, anyway. Remind me why we think this technology is such a massive benefit."

??

Mashiro glared at the stack of papers in front of her. Her morning mug of coffee was balanced precariously on top, wobbling slightly. She crossed her arms and felt a flash of annoyance. Did nobody sign anything themselves these days? Hadn't anyone heard of delegation?

She sighed and sat in front of the stack, rubbing her forehead. She was exhausted and in no mood for work. She wondered if there was any chance of a day in bed and realised, with more than a little regret, that there probably wasn't.

The door opened behind her and she sat up straighter. "Good morning, Cardinal, are you well?"

"It's me, Mashiro-chan," Arika said, subdued. "Sakomizu-san's laid up in bed. The doctor thinks it might be something he ate last night. Half the kitchen staff are ill too."

"Oh, tell me you're joking," Mashiro groaned. She dropped her head to the desk, sighing hugely. "It'll take me twice as long to do these without him."

Arika sighed under her breath and opened her mouth to ask if she could help at all. Realising that she wouldn't be very helpful at all, she snapped it shut sullenly.

"It's such a beautiful day, too," Mashiro complained. "Why couldn't that garden party at the University have been today instead of last week?"

Arika smiled a small smile. "It rained pretty heavily."

"You got soaked," Mashiro commented moodily. Arika had gotten soaked mainly because she'd not been too eager to be too close under the same umbrella. The young queen sighed again and turned her head to one side, looking over at Arika sadly. She missed her.

It had only been a damn kiss, after all. In the end, it hadn't meant anything because, in the long run, it couldn't ever mean anything. She had an obligation to marry and produce an heir and that was final. Arika was her Otome and while she'd admit she'd over stepped a live, they both needed to move on and forget about it.

Arika turned to her, curious at the brooding silence. The large grey bags under her queen's eyes stood out against her pale skin, sending a stab of sympathy, and guilt, through Arika.

"You look like you need a rest, Mashiro-chan," she said, about to ring for Aoi.

"No. I don't. I need to get this stuff done. I can't just hop into bed whenever I feel like it, Arika."

"Mashiro-chan, come on. You look exhausted," she said, by now a familiar argument. Ever since the whole kiss incident, things hadn't quite been right between them. Whenever Arika had remembered to act like a good and obedient Otome, she'd ended up over compensating. It was starting to grate on both their nerves. Arika sighed and wondered where was there a world threatening, planet destroying monster when you needed one?

"Arika, I need to work. Either shut up or get out," the queen snapped, sitting up and brushing the hair out of her eyes. She wasn't in a mood to tip toe around Arika for yet another day.

"Mashiro-chan-"

"Out!" the queen shouted, sounding like a spoiled child. "Out, now. Thank you."

Arika, hurt and annoyed, stalked to the door and slammed it after her, eyes blazing with righteous indignation. She was only trying to help her! She was only trying to fulfill her maidenly duties. Furious, she threw herself into a chair and folded her arms crossly, glaring at the floor.

If only she hadn't messed things up; if only she hadn't been such an ass and gone and kissed Mashiro. She was losing her friend for a stupid reason and it was tearing at her heart. How could she fix this? How could she put things back to normal?

"You know, you might set that rug on fire if you glare too much," came the amused voice of Major Chie Hallard.

"Chie-sempai," Arika said, sitting up again and blinking. "What are you doing here?"

Chie took the seat beside her and smiled sunnily. "I have an interim report for Her Majesty. It's a copy of the one being sent to Aries today. Would you like to give it to her?"

Arika frowned. "I'll bring it in soon. She doesn't want to be disturbed."

Chie nodded slowly, one eyebrow raised over her fashionable glasses. "I see. Everything OK?" she asked gently. One would have to be quite stupid to not have noticed the chilly atmosphere between queen and Otome in recents times. It was worrying Aoi and, as such, was high on Chie's list of things to fix.

Arika sighed, closing her eyes. "It must be liberating not to have a master, Chie-sempai."

"I do have a master, Arika. Don't let the Colonel hear you say that."

"But it's not the same, is it? I mean, loads of people can certify your GEM, right?"

Chie nodded. "I guess so. The rank and file GEMs we're given are more like the Pearls than real meister GEMs." She cast a thought back to her proper GEM, the one she'd worn as leader of the Delta Squad. Oh well, c'est la vie, she mused. At least she was able to spend more time around Aoi.

Arika turned to the older woman, curious. "But you're not a member of the rank and file."

"Ah, good point," she grinned. "But I still get a fairly crappy GEM that I rarely use. It's not like I need it for the moment, anyway."

Arika nodded and fiddled with her dress, slightly nervous. "Still."

Chie shrugged. "I guess. What's wrong, kid? Things not perfect with Mashiro-sama?"

Arika shook her head sadly. "I think I messed it up." Chie was silent, regarding Arika gently for a moment. "I mean, I know I messed it up. Worse than that time right before Yuna appeared."

Chie took a breath and took Arika's hand gently, shaking it a bit. "You haven't done anything that can't be fixed. You're both alive, right?"

Arika nodded. What was actually wrong between them, really? She wished she knew.

"Look, I can't stay long. If you want to talk to me about anything, you know where I live, OK?"

Arika smiled a wobbly smile. "Thanks, Chie-sempai."

Chie stood and smoothed her jacket. "No problem. Listen, it's a nice day and I hear the kitchen staff isn't feeling the best. Go for a picnic or something. Things always look better outside."

Arika nodded, distracted, before blinking. A picnic?

"Chie-sempai, that sounds perfect!"

??

Natsuki frowned at the computer terminal, scowling at the infernal machine. "You know something, I don't think that this has been the revolutionary advance that people thought it would be, somehow."

Shizuru nodded and sipped her tea, reading over a few notes from Miss Maria. "Miss Maria has suggested that we ban IRC in the academy. She thinks it's not only leading to a drop in productivity but that it's also corrupting the Otome."

Natsuki clicked her tongue and, following the instructions written out on note paper, logged onto the student server using Nao's account. "Hmm, well it just seems like they're talking about school work and complaining about the weather." Trust students, she thought glumly, to complain about beautiful sunshine so late in the year. She was tempted to turn the air conditioning off completely give them something to really complain about.

Shizuru shrugged and drank the rest of her tea while Natsuki sat, slightly spell bound, by the fast-paced, badly spelled conversation flitting in front of her eyes. "It all seems fair enough. Wait, what's this?"

"Hmm?"

"It's one of these so-called links."

"I see."

Natsuki, ever mindful of the responsibilities and obligations that accompanied her lofty position, clicked the link.

"Oh mother of us all!"

Shizuru was up in a second and made her way to Natsuki's apoplectic side, grabbing her shoulder and waving a hand in front of her face.

"Natsuki? what's wrong?"

"Oh shit, my eyes! My eyes!"

Shizuru turned and looked to the screen.

"Ara, I don't think that's a goat, somehow."

??

Sarah Gallagher grinned a slightly frightening grin and straightened her jacket, heading for the redheaded object of her desire, a spring in her step.

"Oi, Nao," she called, jogging to catch up. "Nao!"

Nao paused and turned, pulling earphones out of her ears and blinking at Sarah.

"Gallagher. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, nothing," the blonde said, coming to a stop beside Nao, "just wandering around, waiting for the next assignment. I might be heading to Florence."

Nao nodded politely. "Sounds good. I hear it's nice in summer."

"Yeah, but I get to go and sort out Shiho Huit, your old buddy. She and the King aren't getting on too well."

Nao snorted in laughter. "Shiho doesn't get on well with anyone!"

Sarah smiled and shrugged. Nao really was quite pretty, she decided. "Why don't we go grab a beer, you can tell me all about it."

Nao shrugged. "Sure. There's a place near here that does food. I'm starved."

"Cool," Sarah said, rocking on the balls of her feet, "lead the way!"

??

**FOR YOUR EYES ONLY, TOP SECRET**

The findings to date can thus be summarised:

The Harmonium's transport function is inactive apart from during Cyclic Energy Discharges (CED). It is safe to work on the ruins at any other time.

The link to the other world can only be accessed by living beings. Inanimate objects do not react to the CEDs.

The process works on 62 of rats exposed to the CEDs. The figure is significantly higher for cats (84).

Uberworld rats do not show any statistically significant behavioural differences to native rats. Performance differences seem to relate to sampling biases.

The differences in behaviour between Uberworld and Native cats were impossible to quantify. Anecdotal evidence suggests that Uberworld cats tend to be more vicious and possibly rabid.

Dead cats have no reaction to CEDs. The effect of Native cats in Uberworld will hopefully not be negative to existing populations.

There is a pressing need for guards that do not harbour any particular fondness for cats to be stationed in the chamber during research periods.

**OF SPECIAL NOTE**

During the first two human CED exchanges, anomalous power levels were noted. They returned to within background levels after the return of Uberlanders.

There was a large difference between these anomalous levels during the first and second human CED exchanges.

**FOR YOUR EYES ONLY, TOP SECRET**

_Extract from an Interim report prepared for Mashiro Blan de Windbloom by Youko Helene and Irina Woods, regarding continuing research into the Harmonium and its links to Uberworld._

??

Arika strode through the corridors of the palace, startling servants and porters as she went. Her clear eyes were fixed firmly on the route ahead, firm and unwavering in their purpose. She was, unmistakably, a woman on a mission.

The fact that a picnic basket was swinging over her arm did little to detract from the over all effect.

She threw the thick oaken doors in front of her open, her mouth fixed in a grim line. What ever she did, she was going to make things right. She'd spent far too much time in the previous year trying to fix up after the last big fight they'd had and she was damned if she was going to spend the next year doing the same thing.

"Mashiro-chan!" she bellowed, startling the diminutive monarch. "We're going out for lunch."

"Arika?" Mashiro blinked, keeping still lest any sudden moves would startle her Otome. The Otome in question strode towards her desk and stood, legs planted apart and her free hand on her hip. A large stack of papers slid off the desk, spilling to the floor and tipping the odd tableau into action.

"We're going out for lunch, you'll need to certify me," Arika said with all the sureness she could muster. It wasn't much, but it was enough to pitch Mashiro into a state of puzzlement.

"What?" Mashiro asked, blinking in confusion. "Can't we just have it here?"

"Nope, we need to go somewhere quiet. You need a break from all this stupid queen stuff."

"But I am the stupid queen," she barked, irritated, "this is what I do!"

"It's all you do. You used to have fun, too," Arika accused. Mashiro's eyes widened and Arika, knowing an explosion was immanent, rushed forward and grabbed her hands, squeezing them between her own.

"No, don't start yelling. Just take the afternoon off. Sakomizu-san will be back tomorrow and the three of us will work through this pile of paper," she commanded.

Mashiro wondered, briefly, if the palace guards would be a match for Arika and if the royal coffers could afford to rebuild the castle again. She sighed and shook her head. She was too tired to fight, at this stage.

"All right. Where?"

"Far away from here, I'll need my Robe," Arika said, placing the basket on the desk, causing yet more paper to go flying. She stooped beside Mashiro, tipping her head to one side.

"Come on, it's beautiful outside," she said, cajoling her mistress.

Mashiro rolled her eyes and darted forward, pecking her on the GEM and watching her materialise the Robe. Grinning, the tall young woman lifted the basket again and made her way to the window, motioning for Mashiro to join her.

Sighing, the queen did so, wrapping her arms around her neck tightly.

"Don't you dare drop me, Arika."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Mashiro-chan."

??

"God damn those little pieces of crap!" Natsuki fumed, pacing up and down her office. Throwing her hands into the air every so often. "I cannot believe that they did that! I mean, I'm so sick of this place!"

"You need a break, Natsuki," Shizuru said, calmly, sitting behind Natsuki's desk and watching her lover with a small smile on her face.

"I need to be away from those idiotic Otome wannabes for more than a night! I mean, did you hear that someone's been selling pictures of the students to the Academy boys?"

Shizuru tried to look surprised. She herself had sold pictures of students to the fine young men of the Wind City Grammar Academy when she'd been younger. How else would she have been expected to afford to woo certain reluctant Corals with gifts?

"Times have changed, Shizuru, we were never like that when we were younger!"

"Of course not."

Natsuki shot Shizuru a dirty look. "I know that tone! You think I'm over reacting."

"Natsuki," Shizuru said, standing and walking to her side, "they're teenagers. This is what they do."

"I never distributed pictures like that when I was a teenager," she huffed. Shizuru took her hands and smiled gently at her, coaxing a smile out of the livid woman. She leaned closer and kissed her gently, wrapping her arms around her waist and tugging her forward.

"You, my dear, need a break from all this," she said, leaning her forehead against Natsuki's. "We both do."

"We can't leave now, Shizuru," Natsuki said, winding a hand around Shizuru's neck and playing with her hair. "We're too busy." She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, smiling at the warmth of her lover, at the familiarity of the embrace.

"You know we could," the chestnut haired woman chastised. "We'll leave Miss Maria in charge and have Nao stay in our place. We'll not be vanishing to the end of the world, either." She kissed Natsuki's forehead, stroking her back gently, an idle thumb sliding under the bottom of her top. "I mean, we're not that busy are we? The next TDP session isn't for three weeks; nothing important is happening in the school either. Nao will be able to certify the girls if they need it." She smiled fondly at her lover, sighing. "And the Harmonium business isn't going to change any time soon, either. We're only getting ourselves wound up over it, being here."

Natsuki moved her free hand to Shizuru's face, opening her eyes. "I suppose it is meant to be a study period for the next couple of weeks before the mid terms, right?"

"Right."

"And if we flew, we could be hundreds of miles away by lunch time."

"Exactly."

Natsuki stroked Shizuru's cheek with her thumb, eyes serious but not stern. "Love you."

Shizuru kissed the palm beside her face, sighing happily. "I love you too."

"We'll leave first thing in the morning," Natsuki said, a new determination in her voice, while a surge of appreciation for the woman holding her went through her. "You look after me so well and I never seem to do enough for you."

"Well, do this for me and I'll call it even."

"Where to, then?" Natsuki said, pressing even closer to the other woman.

"Where else?" Shizuru said, sliding one hand down the top of Natsuki's trousers, effectively robbing her of her entire mental capacity and eliciting a gasp.

"We're going to visit your parents."

??

Aoi Senoh, long suffering maid and loyal supporter of Mashiro of Windbloom didn't ask for much in life. Growing up in the palace, being tripped over by dignitaries and people much more important than herself had led her to have a very secure idea of her duties in life. It generally involved chasing after a spoiled young monarch, taking care of her clothes and making sure said monarch didn't cause a multilateral assault to be waged on their home country.

If asked, she would have assured you that it wasn't anything that any other person in her position would have done. If asked again, she probably would concede that Brigadier General Armitage would be a poor substitute.

She didn't see herself as a particularly special person; if she had any claim to extraordinaryness it was through the people that surrounded her, or so she thought. She had no inkling, thought Major Chie Hallard, of how special she was.

Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, given that Chie was very good at remembering to remind her at every opportunity. It was possibly one of the reasons that Major Hallard found herself so completely enamoured with the woman. Chie, lost in a reverie, sat with a soft smile on her handsome features, fiddling with the flowers in the vase in front of her.

Her cheek cradled in one hand, her elbow propped up on the table, she would have made the perfect model for a study of the lovesick soldier.

Unfortunately, her peaceful interlude was loudly and rudely interrupted by the appearance of two women (neither of whom were Aoi, she noted immediately) opposite her.

"Nao? Sarah-sempai?"

"Chie-chan!" Sarah cooed, reaching across and pinching Chie's cheek. "You look so butch in your uniform! Doesn't she, Nao?"

Nao grinned, obviously a little bit tipsy, and shrugged. "What, even with the jacket off?"

"Especially with the jacket off!" Sarah crowed, obviously slightly more tipsy than her partner in crime.

"It's a sunny day," Chie said, smiling wryly. "I can't believe you two are drinking at lunch time."

"Feh, no afternoon classes," Nao scoffed.

"And I'm free until the day after tomorrow," Sarah said, smugly.

Chie pushed her glasses back up her nose, amused by the antics of the pair in front of her. "Where are you off to then, Sarah-sempai?"

"Florence," she said, wrinkling her nose. "I swear, the food there's so rich I'm going to get gout!"

Nao nodded idly, looking around for a waiter. She snagged one and requested a carafe of house wine. Chie winced. Nao never started on the wine before evening unless she was on a binge.

Fantastic.

"Well, ladies, lovely seeing you, but duty calls," she chirped, standing to leave.

"Oh no you don't," Sarah admonished. "As one of the Columns of Garderobe, I order you to sit and share a glass of wine before you go."

Nao laughed and nodded. "I second the motion. You'll need another Column to overturn it."

"Well, the maidens of Garderobe have spoken," Chie said, smiling wryly, "and who am I to argue?"

The three sat and talked about inconsequential things for a while, generally swapping anecdotes about Garderobe and their lives since. Sarah eventually excused herself and left the table, gait surprisingly steady. Chie grinned at Nao.

"So. Sarah Gallagher, huh? You planning on a Kruger/Viola kind of arrangement?"

Nao snorted. "Get real. She's a flirt, but I'm not interested."

Chie raised an eyebrow. "Nao, she could flirt her way into Miss Maria's knickers. This isn't a woman to trifle with," she warned with mock seriousness.

"Huh," Nao mused, "there's an image that's now indelibly scoured into my brain. Thanks, Chie."

"Anytime."

Nao stuck her tongue out. She was well aware that Sarah had been flirting with her and that the blonde had a single purpose in mind. She was also well aware of her own iron will, determination and fortitude against alcohol. There wasn't anything to worry about, at all; there was no way she was going to have sex with Gallagher. She winked at Chie.

"Besides, what do you care? Don't tell me you're bored with poor Miss Senoh already? I knew you could never settle down with one woman."

Chie smiled a humourless smile, her eyes predatory. "That's not an offer, is it? Propositioning an Otome in army uniform is a court martial offence, Nao."

Nao rolled her eyes. "Only if you're a member of the Aries armed forces."

"Touché. But you'd better check the bottom of your glass for the President's shilling."

Nao laughed heartily. "As long as it isn't a penny, this wine's too nice to rush."

??

Meanwhile, in a secluded corner of the Nekogami Mountain Park, Mikoto was in her favourite state. Purring with enjoyment, she stretched out and sighed hugely, happily. Her head was pillowed in Mai's warm lap, the sun flitting onto her face through the trees.

"You know something," Mai said, fiddling with the short woman's braids. "I think you're getting lazier and lazier as the days go by."

"You think?" she asked, gazing up with mirth-filled eyes. "I mean, what proof do you have?"

Mai smiled and rubbed her hand over her face, smiling softly. "You haven't moved for an hour. My legs are falling asleep. They never used to do that," she said, tapping her nose. "You're spending more time just lazing around on me when I should be working in my shop."

"Hmm," Mikoto hummed, scratching the side of her head. "Maybe it's just that you're getting older, Mai," she said, sharp teeth flashing through a cheeky smile.

Mai's expression of outrage was priceless, she decided. It would more than make up for her having to sleep on the couch.

"You are so cruel to me," the buxom woman pouted, jokingly. "And I wouldn't start about age, if I were you. You're a geriatric."

Mikoto shrugged idly, sitting up and rubbing Mai's knees for a moment before pulling her bare feet into her lap and rubbing one firmly.

"Far too cruel," she agreed, massaging Mai's foot. "You know, I wonder if I'm too old for you," she teased. "People look at us and they think one of us is a cradle robbing pervert, you know."

Mai, leaning against the trunk of the tree and smiling, shook her head. Her clear eyes met Mikoto's for a second, melancholic for a moment as she was once again reminded of the fact that, even though more than ten years had passed, Mikoto hadn't aged a day. "I'll be thrown in jail, if word ever gets out."

"I wouldn't joke about that around Viola-san, if I were you," a soft voice said. Miyu made her way over the lawn, smiling at the pair of women. She motioned for them to stay seated and curled her legs underneath her, letting her cloak fall to the ground.

"It's good to see you," Mai said, sincerely. "It's been too long."

Miyu nodded. "I had work to do."

"Did you find anything useful?" Mikoto asked, eyes serious. The mysterious woman had headed far to the North, investigating more of the area uncovered by Nina Wang and Nao Zhang several years previous. Going was slow, however, and other responsibilities often took her away from her search.

"Yes. I think so," she replied. "Personal accounts from some of the people who worked closely with the Harmonium. They don't mention it often, but they may prove useful. I'll need to consult with experts, however. Some of these are from before I was created."

She paused for a moment, a wistful expression on her face. "Some of the diaries mention her."

Mikoto smiled a lop sided smile at her old friend, lifting one shoulder. "She'd probably be able to fix this in a second, you know."

"I have no doubt," she said, smiling. "I'll make my way to Wind City as soon as possible. I'd like to speak with Director Helene."

"Stay tonight," Mai suggested. "We'll go with you," she said, glancing at Mikoto. She grinned widely.

"It's much more peaceful here now, the Schwartz prisoners seem much more content," she said.

"Yeah, but I kind of miss Nagi, you know," Mai commented. "He kept us entertained. Did you know he tried to escape fifty three times?"

Miyu smiled fondly. "I didn't."

Mikoto nodded enthusiastically.

"The best one was the time he tried to escape through the sewers."

Miyu frowned for a moment. "The Nekogami Mountain doesn't have any sewerage system. It uses a large but efficient septic tank system."

"Yeah, but he didn't know that!"

??

Arika finally touched down on a sunny slope beside somewhere far south of the city. The high summer sun glinted off the swaying grass as they swept down from the crest of the hill to the muddy river winding its way through the bottom of the valley. The Otome headed for a small clump of trees, setting the picnic basket down and tugging a blanket out.

Mashiro followed her, a wry smile spreading over her face.

"Arika, what are we doing here?"

"Having lunch," she proclaimed, in that same tone she'd used earlier, one that left no room for argument. "The kitchen packed us a cold lunch." She patted the blanket and Mashiro sat down, sighing softly.

"That was nice of them," she said, running a hand through the blades of grass.

"Well, they're down to half strength, so they appreciated not having to lay on a lunch."

Mashiro was quiet for a moment before cracking a small smile. "What, so you didn't make all this yourself?"

"Mashiro-chan, me feeding you my own cooking could be classed as high treason," she said, handing the young queen a sandwich.

They ate quietly, only talking when they needed to ask for something out of the basket or something equally banal.

Eventually Mashiro lay back on the blanket, eyes closed and arms folded behind her head.

"You know, we should do stuff like this more often," she said, her way of thanking her Otome. She was still ostensibly annoyed with the other girl, after all, and wasn't going to crack first.

"We should, Mashiro-chan," she said, clearing up the left overs and packing them away, sitting with her chin on her knees. "Chie-sempai suggested it. I bet she and Aoi go on a lot of picnics."

"I bet they do," Mashiro agreed, closing her eyes against the dappled light flitting through the trees. She felt invigorated out in the open, as if everything she'd done that morning had sucked a small portion of her out, leaving her slipping into ennui and an odd sensation of jamais vu. Suddenly those papers, with their mouldy, sinus clogging mustiness, seemed so trivial and simple. They were, after all, products of the highest levels of bureaucracy and it was a well known fact that bureaucracy was only confusing to those struggling in its lower echelons.

After all, the most she usually had to do was either decide to sign something or to not sign something. After either of these actions, things generally became someone else's problem.

"Arika," she said, idly, "what did they eat to poison themselves?"

"I don't know. The salmon, maybe."

Mashiro blinked. "Arika," she said, slowly and carefully, "didn't you say you were going to have salmon last night?"

Arika shrugged. "I guess the nano machines took care of it."

Mashiro shook her head slowly, trying to stifle her laughter as she rolled onto her side and stared at her Otome.

"We should definitely do this more often."

"I know," she replied, bemused. "It was my idea, after all."

Mashiro rolled her eyes and sighed. It was too warm to argue and she was too full from the lunch. She heard Arika stretch out on the other side of the basket, leaning back on her elbows and letting her head loll back between her shoulders. She smiled to herself and let her eyes slip shut, relaxing in the bower. The breeze rustled the leaves above them and small song birds chirped in the branches. It was a welcome break from the airless, soulless confines of her official chambers.

She slipped into a light doze, head pillowed on her arm and felt some of the tension that had been gathering dissipate. Maybe things were back on the way to being mended.

Eventually, a hand on her shoulder woke her, earning an unhappy groan.

"Come on, Mashiro-chan," she chided. "We need to get back or people might worry."

Mashiro sat up and yawed widely, rubbing her eyes sleepily. Arika stood and offered her hand, the tentative look in her eyes incongruous after her earlier bombast and assurance.

It was quite adorable, somehow.

Mashiro took her hand and let herself be pulled up before stepping into the circle of Arika's arms, wrapping her arms around her waist and burying her face in the odd material of her Robe.

"This was a great idea, Arika," she muttered, sighing. Why should something as trivial as a kiss have made the exchange of such easy affection so awkward? She closed her eyes when she felt Arika wrap her arms around her back, squeezing her shoulders gently.

"I'm sorry for what happened," she muttered, resting her cheek on the top of Mashiro's head. "I wasn't acting like a very good Otome."

Mashiro resisted the urge to mention that while she had been acting like a good Otome, she'd not been acting like a very good friend. She huffed and half considered berating her companion but decided that she was enjoying standing wrapped in her arms too much.

"It's OK," she muttered, "I probably wasn't acting like I should have, either."

Arika grinned widely and resisted the urge to drop a kiss on the crown of her head.

"Let's go home, Mashiro-chan."

??

Aoi Senoh bustled through the streets of Wind City, humming as she made her way to the Aries Consulate and her lover. There was a new, particularly soppy film being shown at the pictures and she had every intention of making Chie take her. She smiled to herself and picked up her pace, fighting to keep a smile from spreading across her face.

What a grand thing love is, she mused.

She breezed past the guard, earning a polite salute and a warm smile, and towards Chie's office. She knocked on the heavy door and without waiting for an answer, stuck her head in.

"Chie?" she called, finding the room empty. She closed the door behind her and wandered to the sofa, eyeing the messy desk with a fond expression.

The door to the attached bathroom swung open and Chie peered in, glasses absent and a toothbrush in her mouth. She mumbled a greeting and hurried back into the bathroom, the sound of running water issuing forth.

"Aoi," she said happily, making her way to her lover and wrapping one arm around her, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Ever punctual."

"Ever minty, too," she replied, kissing Chie on the lips. "So, you don't have any plans for tonight, do you?"

"I was hoping you'd like a nice dinner out on the town, but nothing concrete," she said, eyes narrowing. "Why?"

Aoi leaned into her and sighed. "Movies?"

"Movies," Chie confirmed. "But can we eat first?"

"Of course, the late night showings are better, anyway," Aoi said. "Are you nearly ready?"

Chie nodded and wandered to a small wooden cabinet, pulling off her tie as she went. Opening the inlaid doors, she pulled a blue woollen jumper out, smoothing it over her starched white shirt.

"Am I presentable?" she asked, reaching for her glasses. "Not too obviously military, am I?"

"You're gorgeous," Aoi said, stepping up and wrapping her arms around Chie's neck and kissing her slowly. Chie, never one to spurn the affections of her lover for something as trivial as food, held her tightly.

"You know," Chie pointed out as Aoi nuzzled her throat, "we'll never get to the pictures at this rate."

Aoi poked her in the side, earning a chuckle, and continued in her efforts. Chie wasn't complaining.

However, the blissful scene was interrupted by the shrill ringing of the telephone on Chie's desk, startling the pair. Aoi pulled back and looked at Chie quizzically.

"That had better not be another girlfriend, Major Hallard."

Chie shrugged. "It shouldn't be anyone; it's after hours." She dropped a kiss on Aoi's nose and wandered to the other side of the desk, snagging the phone as she went.

"Major Hallard speaking, how may I help?"

"Maya Blythe here, good evening, Major."

Chie frowned. "Maya-sempai, how can I help?"

"Have you seen Zhang-san today? She'd not answering her phone and I need to contact her."

Chie squeezed her eyes shut wearily. "I saw her at lunch. She didn't say where she'd be this evening. It is urgent?"

"She needs to report to Garderobe to Kruger-san as soon as possible. If you see her, do let her know. I think I'll wander over to her dorm, see if she's there."

Chie's eyes widened. "No! That's not necessary. I have a book I need to give her. I'll swing by before dinner."

"Oh, fantastic," Maya said. "Well, if you need me, I'm in the Royal Hotel on the Plaza."

A light went on in Chie's head. "I would have thought you'd be staying in Garderobe."

"No, not this time. We've been put up here, for some reason."+

"We?"

"Sarah and myself. Well, good evening, Major."

Chie hung up the phone and groaned. Aoi came up behind her and rubbed between her shoulder blades.

"Is everything all right?"

"I think Nao may have gotten herself into a heap of trouble."

_+The reason being the fact that Natsuki hadn't the slightest intention of letting Sarah Gallagher anywhere the student Otome sleeping quarters. She'd long ago learned her lesson._

??

Natsuki sat and let her head rest against the coffee table, cursing her inability to think straight when Shizuru led her down such obvious and derived paths to doom. And doomed she was to spend a week at her parents' estate in the back region of beyond. True, she'd have a certain Column to keep her occupied (and as far as she was concerned, the woman had some serious making up to do) but she doubted that anything short of locking themselves in the north tower for a week would prevent her nosy relatives from making her life a living hell.

She sighed again and tried to let the frustration flow out of her. A holiday would do them good. It would provide space to think about the Harmonium and what the next course of action should be. Chiaki had already agreed to put them up in her own, relatively quiet home, the generous hostess that she was.

"Oh, Natsuki, don't look so miserable," Shizuru cooed, sliding onto the sofa beside her and wrapping slender arms around her. Natsuki couldn't help wiggling into a sitting position and curling around the other woman, running a reverent finger along her arm. How she hated that damn Otome gown for obscuring such sights day in and day out, she mused, pouting at the cruelty of the universe.

"You're not off the hook, beloved," she muttered huffily, leaning against her lover.

"Ara, Natsuki, don't be so sour," she teased. "After all, you see my family at least twice a month. We even go there on holidays. I so rarely get to see your family."

Natsuki shifted back into Shizuru's embrace, sighing. "That's because your parents are normal, lovely people. Mine are a bunch of lunatics who sit in a large castle atop a large hill and shoot foreigners."

"They do not."

"They do so."+

Shizuru was not about to indulge a childish argument and so employed a very adult defence, nibbling Natsuki's neck gently.

"Think of all the walks we can take and the nice evenings in beside the fire. Best of all, no Otome."

"Really?" Natsuki asked sarcastically. "It'd be even better if you could rid the manor of my family."

"Shush," she admonished, "don't talk about your family in situations like this, it's too Freudian for my liking."

"Who's Freud?" Natsuki asked, turning in Shizuru's arms and kissing her elegant throat.

"A stock comedy character from Old Earth, apparently invented by a man named Groucho Marx to indulge his love of cigars on stage and to scare feminists," she murmured, well-aware that Natsuki wasn't paying much attention.

Natsuki made a vague noise of interest but had more important things to worry about. She pressed Shizuru back onto the sofa and smiled widely at her, fondly brushing strands of hair out of her face.

"I'll forgive your efforts to ingratiate yourself with my family, I think."

"You're far too generous," she replied pulling the other woman down to her while kissing her gently. She ran her hands over the slim body, smiling into the kiss and letting her eyes slide closed, sighing softly. Natsuki eagerly responded, pressing her down into the couch and letting her weight rest on Shizuru, aware that she wouldn't hurt her.

Shizuru relished the feeling of her lover on top of her and reached down, stroking her legs and rolling her hand over her backside, eliciting a low groan. Younger models be damned, she thought as the Gakuenchou reached beneath her camisole; they wouldn't know how to love her like Natsuki did.

"I think we should move inside," Natsuki murmured, pulling her mouth away slightly. "Come on, let's go to bed."

"Why?" Shizuru asked, letting herself be tugged off the couch, "I thought we were going to sit and correct exam papers."

"You wench," Natsuki said, without malice. "Don't bring up school in situations like this, it's too Socratic for my liking."

_+This is true, but has only happened twice. In both cases, the victims lived to tell the tale but were subsequently arrested for possession of controlled substances. When asked, all four of the Kruger girls denied knowledge. Especially Koda who certainly doesn't pollute the temple of her body and definitely did not move away to Cardair to avail of more lenient drug laws._

_One of whom was most assuredly a foreigner. The other was one of the stable boys._

??

Chie skidded on the slick paving stones outside a wine bar, rushing inside after righting herself.

"May I help?" the maitre d' asked, quite snobbily. Chie cursed herself again for leaving her uniform at the consulate.

"I'm looking for two of my friends," she said. "You might know them," she said, opening her military identification and holding up a picture of Nao and Sarah. The maitre d' flushed.

"Ah, yes, these ladies were here briefly. They enjoyed a bottle of our finest rosé before leaving."

"How long ago was that?" Chie asked, trying to calm her breathing.

"About an hour, Major. They did not mention where they headed next."

"Thank you," she said, turning smartly on her heel. She found Aoi emerging from a local bar that Nao often visited, shaking her head.

"Its OK," Chie said, "they were here and had a bottle of wine. I bet they went back to the hotel."

Aoi nodded and took Chie's hand, squeezing softly. "Don't worry, Chie, we'll find them."

Chie nodded, ready to fly to the hotel. She looked at Aoi, making sure she didn't appear too tired and was gripped by a stabbing feeling of guilt. She pressed a kiss to her cool forehead, sighing as she did. They didn't have enough time to spend, chasing around after Nao, not when she was due to be leaving for two months soon.

"I'm so sorry about this," she said, comforted when Aoi leaned against her.

"You're a good friend to her," she said, simply. "She's lucky to have you."

Chie sighed and they began to make their way to the hotel, hand in hand.

"It's not like Maya can do anything to them, really, but she could make it difficult for Nao to stay in Wind City, you know? She's been touring around so much for so long that she's completely entitled to stay in one place for a while."

Aoi nodded. "Which would be fine if Nao didn't have a few more years left in university."

"Exactly," Chie muttered. "She shouldn't risk that just to chase Sarah Gallagher around the sheets. That punk! Aoi, I thought she'd gained an ounce of sense!"

She shrugged, turning to face Chie. "She's calmed down a lot. And she's still young. Give her time."

"You've got the patience of a saint," Chie said. "I'm going to strangle her when I find her."

Aoi shook her head. It took many straws to break this particular camel's back and she wondered if she was going to see Nao deliver the coup de grace. She tried to hide a smile at the thought.

They reached the hotel shortly afterwards, Chie marching straight to the reception and flashing her identification. The concierge, worry lining his face, led the pair of them to Sarah's suite, smiling nervously before bolting away to ring the manager. They certainly didn't need this kind of thing happening at half past eleven at night.

Chie took a breath and banged on the door. "Sarah Gallagher and Juliet Zhang," she barked. "I have an official message from Garderobe. Open this door right now."

Nothing happened for a few moments. Aoi watched the twitch in Chie's eyebrow, reaching out and taking her hand.

"Dammit, don't call me Juliet!" Nao said, opening the door. Her green eyes were flashing and angry beneath an impressive frown. When it registered in her brain exactly who was standing in front of her, she paled.

"Oh. Hi."

"Nao," Chie said. "You've been summoned to Garderobe."

"Oh," she said, blinking slowly. "Right. Thanks for the message." She stepped back into the room, pushing the door closed idly. Rolling her eyes, Chie stuck her foot beside the jamb. She reached into the room and grabbed the student by the back of the sheet she was wearing, scowling.

"It's not an option," she said, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice. "Go in there and shower, throw some clothes on. I'm going to go downstairs and have a coffee and I'll be back here in fifteen minutes. OK?"

Nao frowned drunkenly at Aoi, pointing her thumb back at Chie.

"Is she serious?"

Aoi sighed forlornly. "Deadly."

??

Irina sat sipping a rather obscenely large mug of coffee, buried in the comforting drone of her technology. Her office was filled with odds and ends, bits and bobs. The purr of fans and the chirp of her main box provided comforting harmonies to the music drifting from her speakers.

It was like some kind of return to the womb, only without any amniotic fluid.

Irina sighed and settled into her battered chair, one eye on the screen with fun things like IRC and her music player running and the other on the screen with reams and reams of code running over it. A soft knock at the door was followed by the petite frame of one of her students, a girl named Yvette from Florence.

"Ah, Irina-sensei, are you busy?"

"Of course not," she replied. "What can I do for you at this late hour?"

"Just giving you back your book," she said happily, holding it up. "It was pretty useful."

"Cool," Irina said, motioning to a second chair. "You think you're up to helping me code for a while? It'd be good to have a second set of eyes."

Yvette grinned and hopped into the chair. "Sure. Hey, did you hear the rumour that the Gakuenchou and Shizuru-onee-sama are going away for a while?"

Irina rolled her eyes. So that was why the student had come along. "I think so. The Fourth Column will be filling in for about a week," she confirmed.

"Wow, cool!" Yvette chirped. "I've heard such amazing things about her from some of the upperclassmen!"

Irina frowned. She remembered exactly what kind of things Nao tended to get up to when left with large crowds of young women. She sighed and sipped her coffee.

Never a dull moment.

??

Chie and Aoi stood on either side of Nao, doing their best to keep the drunken young woman standing upright. Aoi looked concerned; Chie looked furious.

"Right. We're here, knock at the damn door," Chie hissed at Nao. Nao blinked at her and scowled.

"They're probably in bed."

"I don't care," Chie bit out, "I told Maya that I was going to find you and bring you to Garderobe. Besides, it was an urgent message, they won't care about the time."

"Heh, you're just jealous that I was in bed, getting some!" After their fourth bottle of wine, she'd realised that her earlier pledge to not have sex had been plain silly and had pledged to herself to never again pledge to not have sex. It had made a lot of sex at the time, Sarah had even agreed with her.

Aoi flushed and pinched Nao. "And so would we be, if you weren't so irresponsible. Hurry up and knock."

Nao, shocked by the frankness of the demure maid's statement shuffled forward and rang the doorbell. Chie, eyes wide and ire evaporating, looked over at Aoi with adoration and surprise.

"Aoi?"

"Yes?"

"Marry me."

Aoi rolled her eyes and shook her head. Chie grinned and watched as Nao stood in the doorway, taking deep breaths.

"Hey, is it too late to ask for a breath mint?"

It was, apparently, for at that moment the door was flung open to reveal an irate and unkempt Natsuki Kruger.

"Fucking what?"

"What?" Nao asked, surprised by the outburst.

"What the fucking... The fuck... What the fuck do you three want?" she roared, flushed and red.

"Uh, Gakuenchou," Nao asked, gently, swaying, "did we interrupt something?"

Which was, it turned out, not the right thing to say at all.

??

Aoi groaned at the sound of her alarm clock, reaching out and smacking the snooze button. She curled back into bed and sighed, feeling Chie roll over to her and drape her arm around her, snuggling close to her.

"We gotta get up?" she mumbled, pressing a little kiss to Aoi's bare shoulder.

"In ten minutes," she replied, yawning. "I'm so tired."

"Damn Nao, that drunken hussy," Chie grumbled. "She made us miss our movie. And dinner."

Aoi turned towards her, wrapping her arms around Chie and drawing her head towards her chest, cuddling her sleepily. "You're a fantastic friend, Chie. Nao's lucky to have you."

"Hmm," she mumbled, resting her cheek on Aoi's breastbone, listening idly to the beat of her heart. "I'm mad at her. She ruined our evening."

"We'll have plenty," she said, sighing.

"Loads," she agreed, a grin curling her lips as she trailed a gentle hand over Aoi's arm.

"Especially when we're married," the maid said said, grinning cheekily.

??

Nao sat with her head cradled between her arms, groaning miserably. What had she done to deserve such agony, she wondered. What god had she offended? She screwed her eyes shut against the light pouring in through the enormous windows and sighed. Damn it all, anyway.

"I take it you heard about last night?" she muttered, glaring across the Gakuenchou's office at the resident medic and scientific director.

Youko coughed into her hand, hiding a smile. "Well, I heard that Kruger wasn't happy with being disturbed, if that's what you mean."

Nao lifted her head and glared at the woman. "It's staying between us, right?"

Youko shrugged. "Not much chance of that; some of the Pearls heard you singing outside the guest rooms."

Nao flushed a bright red. "I wasn't singing, was I?"

"You were," she confirmed. "A rather rousing rendition of the Aries national anthem, apparently."

Nao frowned. "I don't know the words to the Aries national anthem."

Youko couldn't hide it any longer and started laughing, leaning back in her chair as she did. "Oh, I know! You should have seen the look on Chie's face; she was furious!"

Nao let her head hit the desk again. "I'd better apologise."

"And thank her," Youko said, calming herself. "If it hadn't been for her, Maya probably would have found you and Sarah Gallagher in bed together and that wouldn't have boded well for either of you."

"Remind me why Maya was made a Column?"

Youko shrugged, standing and approaching Natsuki's desk. "Ask Himeno-sama. Probably to offer a counterpoint to Sarah, honestly."

Nao sat up again, rubbing her forehead tiredly. "She's a prude."

"She's very aware of the need to preserve the dignity of Otome everywhere. You're not going to argue that stealing Major Hallard's glasses last night was dignified, are you?"

Nao buried her face in her hands. "Oh, kill me now!"

"Later," Youko agreed absently. "Just to let you know, I'll be busy for a couple of days. Midori's coming in for a check up. Irina and Gal are both knocking about if you need anything and I won't be too far if there's an emergency."

"Yeah, whatever," Nao muttered, "just send the cyanide capsules up with my coffee."

??

"Yukino," Brigadier General Haruka Armitage called cheerfully, wandering into the presidential bedroom. "The chef sent up pancakes!"

President Yukino Chrysant smiled and sat up in bed, lifting her glasses from the night stand and watching her Otome navigate the slightly messy room. Smiling sleepily, she found herself smoothing the duvet around her legs and leaving enough pulled back on Haruka's side to allow her to slip back in easily. "That sounds like a nice change, Haruka-chan."

"Hmm, that it does," Haruka said, settling the tray over Yukino's knees and dropping a loving kiss to the first lips. "Better than muesli, anyway."

Yukino smiled and settled back against the pillows, lifting her mail from the tray beside the plate and flicking through the envelopes. Thankfully, as president, she tended to receive very little junk mail or bills.

The mattress bounced as Haruka slid back in beside her, her own tray sporting a large stack of pancakes and the morning paper. She glanced at the headlines before heading to the glossy style supplement, smiling happily.

"Do you want the arts section?" she asked around a mouthful of syrup.

"Thanks," Yukino replied idly. "I do hope we get a chance to go and see the ballet," she said. "I hear the production's amazing." She set the paper aside and continued flicking through her mail, sipping her coffee and taking dainty bites of her food.

"Do you think this shade of eye-shadow is too much for state occasions?" Haruka asked, pointing to the new season's colours. Yukino peered over, squinting slightly.

"Hmm, it looks nice. It'd suit you." Haruka grinned widely and nodded. Surely one of the interns dotting the presidential palace would be free to go shopping for her. What else were they for, after all?

Yukino paused as she came to a letter sealed in one of her own office's embossed envelopes, frowning slightly. It was, it turned out, a message from Garderobe that had arrived over IRC late the previous night.

It read:

**&Kruger: **Dear President Chrysant,

**&Kruger: **Myself and the Third Column will be away for the next week in Kruger County.

**&Kruger:** Please direct all enquiries to Fourth Column, Juliet Nao Zhang.

**&Kruger:** Many thanks.

**&Kruger:** Also, Major Hallard sends her regards.

"I take it one of the aides printed this?" she said, looking over at Haruka.

"Yeah, the IT guy," she paused. "Everything all right?"

Yukino nodded idly, folding the letter away. "Just a courtesy note. Chie says hello."

"Chie?" Haruka frowned. "I wonder what she was doing at her alma matron."

"Who knows, dear," Yukino replied blithely, contentedly sipping her coffee.

??

Chiaki stood on the roof of Kruger Manor, her long blue frock coat flapping idly in the breeze as she awaited the arrival of her little sister and her lover. She peered into the hazy morning sky, squinting towards the southwest.

"Hurry up, Natsuki," she muttered, feeling a pressing need for coffee. The manor was in a crazy enough state at the moment that an extra couple of pairs of hands wouldn't go amiss. Especially with Hokuto in her delicate state. Chiaki snorted at the idea.

Delicate like a rhino.

Two dots resolved themselves into vaguely Otome shaped lumps and she waved, watching with fascination and a little jealousy as they veered towards the castle, gracefully landing a few feet away from her.

"Natsuki, Shizuru," she said, sketching a quiet bow, "welcome."

Natsuki touched her earring, her Robe fading, and nodded to her sister warmly before embracing her. "How are you?"

"Well," she said. "Breakfast?"

"Thanks," Natsuki said, adjusting the bag over her shoulder. Chiaki smiled at Shizuru and kissed her cheek in greeting before leading them towards the roof door.

"It's been a long time since you were here, Shizuru."

"It has," she agreed. "The manor's looking well. How is everyone?"

"Fine, mostly," she said, taking a deep breath. "Although Natsuki, there's something you need to know."

She frowned. Conversations like this never ended well. "What?"

"Well, Hokuto's doctor dropped dead two weeks ago. Heart attack, terribly tragic."

Natsuki blinked. "I see. I remember him from when Sami was born. He was a good man."

"An obstetrician beyond compare, too," she said. "She and her family have moved here for a while, on mother's insistence. She doesn't trust the hospitals in Romulus to care for her precious baby girl."

Natsuki paled. "Oh, no. You must be joking, Aki."

Chiaki sighed forlornly. "I wish I were. They've been here for a fortnight already."

"Isn't she due very soon?" Natsuki asked, a sinking feeling in her stomach. Typical.

"Two weeks, yet," her sister reassured her. "Your timing is, as ever, impeccable."

"It doesn't seem like any time has passed since we saw you last," Shizuru said, cheerfully. "I can't believe she's already due. Time flies."

Natsuki glared at Shizuru, suspiciously. She blinked, counting dates for a minute before something occurring to her. "Wait, isn't the Fifth Hunt this week?"

"It is. It's shaping up to be a good one, too. The ground's in excellent condition, the horses are fit and the Krugerhunds are foaming at the mouth."

"Do they normally do that?" Shizuru asked, glancing at Natsuki, who was sporting an almost jaunty grin.

"Only when they're warm. Or when they're excited. Or hungry," Chiaki said, smiling. "They make superb pets."

Natsuki's eyes lit up. Shizuru pointedly turned her attention to the corridor ahead.

Chiaki threw the kitchen door open, striding in. Shizuru followed and was greeted by the sight of a large gang of Krugers milling around, several enormous dogs following the proceedings from in front of the fire.

"Natsuki!" Count Kruger boomed, hopping up from his seat and wrapping his daughter in a tight hug. "Poppet, it's fantastic to see you." he said, smiling widely under his bushy mustache. He let his daughter down and turned to Shizuru, hugging her as well.

"Fantastic to see you, Miss Viola. You're looking as lovely as ever."

"Thank you," Shizuru said, smiling. Natsuki's mother released her daughter and kissed Shizuru on both cheeks, smiling at her warmly.

"It's delightful to have you two down," she said, her long hair caught up in a messy bun. "You've never been around for one of the hunts, have you, Shizuru dear?" she asked, bustling the woman to the large kitchen table and pulling a chair out.

"No, I've never had the pleasure."

"It's brilliant," Natsuki said, removing her morning coat and draping it over the back of the chair beside Shizuru's, sitting with a wide smile. "It's the most exciting sport on Earl."

Chiaki and the Countess Saeko Kruger busied themselves serving up two enormous fried breakfasts while the Count poured fresh coffee.

"So, do you ride, Miss Viola?" Kruger asked as he put a large mug of coffee beside Shizuru before turning to reach for milk and sugar.

"No, I'm afraid I don't," she said, eyeing the huge plate of food with a slightly nervous look on her face. Had they laid on a special breakfast for them or was this normal, she wondered. She had yet to be present at Kruger Manor when there wasn't an event of some kind happening and was slightly unsure what constituted normal. Shaking her head, she remembered her manners. "But please, call me Shizuru."

"Oh," he said, blushing behind his whiskers. "Thank you, Shizuru."

Shizuru smiled at the stocky man; his daughter had inherited quite a few of his more endearing traits.

The kitchen door opened again and Sami, the oldest of the Kruger grandchildren, ran in, pausing when she saw the new comers. She smiled widely and ran to their side, grinning toothily.

"Good morning, Aunt Natsuki," she chirped.

"Hello Sami," she said, pausing and swallowing her mouthful of bacon. "You remember Shizuru, don't you?"

"You're the Bewitching Smile Amethyst, aren't you?" she asked.

"I am," she said. "You've gotten even bigger since I last saw you."

"And she's starting to loose her baby teeth," Natsuki added, patting her niece on the top of the head. Sami grinned and wandered over to the stove, accepting a plate of sausages and a kiss on the head from her granny.

The door opened again and her father stumbled in, Charlotte in his arms.

"Oh, Natsuki, Shizuru," he said, letting the wiggling toddler down. "Good to see you both. You here for the hunt?"

Natsuki washed down another mouthful of bacon with a gulp of coffee. "A happy coincidence. We were hoping for a break from Garderobe."

The skinny man took a seat at the table, watching Charlotte run over to her sister and demand a sausage. "I would have thought that the place responsible for the Otome would be quiet and, well, quite refined."

The Count harrumphed, a dark look falling over his face. It was the first time that Shizuru had seen him look even remotely annoyed and she blinked at the sight.

"You have _met_ my Otome, haven't you Philip?"

??

Youko was fiddling with some of the experimental GEM matrices that herself and Irina were trying to stabalise, humming an old song as she did. The fact that Irina had managed to produce a working GEM from a non-crystalline substance was, frankly, amazing. So absorbed in her work was she that a hand on her shoulder startled her quite badly and she jumped.

"Midori! You scared me, you brat. You came in like a shadow."

The intrepid leader of Aswald shrugged. "Sorry, force of habit. How are you?"

"About five years older, thanks," she muttered, eyes widening as the words left her mouth. "Oh, Midori, I'm sorry."

The woman in front of her shook her head in dismissal. "No worries, it's why I'm here, anyway."

Youko stood, facing her friend with concern. "Your message didn't say much. Is everything OK?"

Midori sighed. "The REM is breaking down. The nanomachines in me are failing. It's not the first time it's happened, but none of my usual tricks are working."

The director closed her eyes in sorrow, pathetically grateful that Midori had come to her instead of opting to wander into the desert to die.

"Come on, we'll put the kettle on and you can tell me everything."

??

The woman towered above everyone else in the smallest drawing room in Kruger Manor, looking down her nose at the occupants. She turned dark green eyes to her third niece.

"You're still a Column?"

Natsuki swallowed thickly. "Yes, Aunt Morgan."

Her eyes narrowed; dark eye shadow and mascara obscuring the glacial stare. "You little shit. Someone get me a gin and tonic."

Shizuru blinked in shock, looking between her lover and the stillettoed woman. She hadn't been genuinely surprised in a long time, but then she'd never met anyone Morgan Stanley Kruger before. The stately woman took a long pull from her cigarette and turned to Shizuru, squinting meanly.

"And you are?"

"Shizuru Viola, Third Column of Garderobe."

"Two of you? Don't tell me that my droopy-arsed little brother has finally managed to do something interesting, like invade somewhere," she snorted, snatching a gin and tonic from Natsuki with a sneer.

"Shizuru's here with me," the principal said evenly, "she's a guest here."

"I see," she muttered, running her eyes up and down Shizuru's form. "And there was me thinking that the rewards of being a column were purely ideological. Where's the rest of that bottle?"

"Stanley," Kruger huffed, "aren't you forgetting about our little talk?"

"Which one?"

Kruger frowned, his eyebrows low over his nose. "The one where I carefully reminded you that as an Otome, any damage your inflict on yourself will be visited on me, Stanley. Including damage to the liver!"

"Well, then I'd recommend you buy better quality champers, darling."

Kruger sighed and turned on his heel, stalking out of the room. Morgan, pursing her lips in distaste, took a long swallow of her gin.

"Men." She turned to Shizuru and fixed her with a fierce gaze. "Even if my niece is a dull little trollop, you're better keeping your nose down between her legs than even glancing at one of the bastards."

"Aunt Morgan!" Natsuki shrieked, turning a bright shade of red.

Chiaki sighed and rubbed her forehead. It was promising to be a long day.

??

Nao yawned deeply and stretched behind Natsuki's large desk, feeling her spine pop and crack a few times before settling into its proper alignment. Gods be damned, she mused, if Sarah wasn't as strong as she was creative...

Or rather, she admitted, slightly kinky.

She frowned and spent a moment engaged in rare introspection. What had brought her to Sarah's large comfy bed last night? She gnawed her thumbnail for a moment before snapping her fingers, a positive eureka moment.

She had been drunk. She was twenty and had yet to grow out of being randier than a buck in rut most of the time. Sarah had been willing, single and wasn't looking for anything special.

Realising that all these factors together meant she was entitled to let herself off the hook with regards any guilt or fretting over long term ideas of being snagged as someone's girlfriend, she grinned. A harmless little romp in the sheets and a fine notch to her bedpost.

Something niggled at the back of her mind for a moment and her smug expression fell a bit. She probably owed Chie and Aoi apologies and some sort of present. She sighed, nothing was ever easy. Kruger and Viola were probably out for blood too, but they'd be gone for a week and were unlikely to remember anything by the time they got back.

She flipped open Kruger's appointment book and scanned through the day's chores, curling her lip in distaste. All the tasks listed before her seemed far too dull to bother with, especially when she could actually go out and have some fun when she was here.

A wide grin spread over her features as she settled into the seat and began plotting, finding the scheming to be quite an effective hangover cure.

??

"So basically," Chiaki sighed to Shizuru later, after she'd sent Natsuki and Morgan to the wine cellar to take stock of things, "she was forced to agree to go to Garderobe after she and the King of Lustesia's daughter were found in possession of two kilos of cocaine. Each."

"My, they must have been dealing to a great number of people."

Chiaki shrugged. "They claimed it was for personal use and I for one believe them. I'm still shocked the old bat's nose hasn't caved in. Anyway, she became my father's Otome and she's hated him for it ever since. When Natsuki announced that she wished to train as an Otome, everyone was delighted. It seemed as if a solution had finally presented itself."

Shizuru nodded. "But then, instead of Natsuki becoming your father's Otome, she was selected as a Column."

"Which father accepted as a great honour for her and supported her. Morgan, however, was less than thrilled."

"I see," the Otome muttered. "She's quite a remarkable woman."

"Pejoratively, yes," Chiaki agreed. "Remarkable."

"I mean, forgive me for being rude, but isn't she slightly old to be an active Otome?"

"Well," the Kruger heir mused, "I can't remember her ever actually Materialising, to be honest. We're working with the assumption that she still has her qualifications. Father's not exactly happy with the idea of getting close enough to try and kiss her GEM, to be perfectly frank."

"Ara, she is rather an imposing woman."

Chiaki was about to whole-heartedly agree when the door to the parlour slammed open and Hokuto Kruger, youngest daughter and bigger than the back end of a bus, waddled through the door. Her bright blue eyes lit up when she spied Shizuru and she gave a little squeal of excitement.

"Oh, Shizuru dahling!" she positively yipped, making her way over faster than her round belly suggested was safe to move. "It's so wonderful to see you," she said, a wide smile on her rosy face. Whatever sniggers may have been leveled at Hokuto's back, she was one of the rare women that seemed suited to motherhood. She was radient and had an aura of good health around her.

"Once again, Hokuto-san, congratulations. I hear it's only a couple of weeks to go," Shizuru complimented her upon being released from an enthusiastic embrace.

"Oh," she cooed, rubbing her belly, "fifteen days, we think. They're so eager to get out, too," she said lifting Shizuru's hand and placing it on her belly. "See, little football stars already."

Shizuru, Chiaki noticed, had a slight look of panic creeping around the edges of her eyes. Not that the polite young merchant's daughter from Wind City would ever let her discomfort show so rudely. The tall woman let her stew for a few more moments before moving in and raising her eyebrows.

"Go on, then, sprogs," she said, watching as Shizuru gladly took her hand back, "give your Auntie your worst."

"They're so active," Hokuto sighed, quite blissfully happy. "I mean, it can be a pain, sometimes. I mean, it does take me away from work for a few months but it's not as if I can't just jump back in at any time."

Hokuto was, if Shizuru remembered correctly, an antiques trader with quite a few shops scattered around Romulus and Remus. In the early days, she'd spent a lot of time travelling from one auction to another, scouting agents and sellers she could depend on. The fact that the business could now run itself for a couple of months at a time was an impressive accomplishment, Shizuru had always thought. Hokuto was, she'd long ago learnt, in possession of such large amounts of self assurance that she tended to jolly life along to suit herself.

"And Philip is finishing his new book," Hokuto said, clucking her tongue. "He had such trouble with the illustrator... Really, such a dreadful young man. He overran all his deadlines you know? I really thought my poor Pippin was going to get a few grey hairs."

"Philip already has a few grey hairs, dear," Chiaki pointed out.

"Well, yes," Hokuto conceded, "but they're from the children. Badges of honour and all."

The door once again slammed open and an irate and oddly dusty Natsuki thumped through it, making a beeline for her sisters and Shizuru.

"Good morning Hokuto. Goodbye, Chiaki. Shizuru, we're leaving."

"Good morning!"

"Oh, come now!"

"We are absolutely not."

Natsuki looked between the three women. Hokuto was smiling kindly at her. Chiaki was pursing her lips at her and had raised a questioning eyebrow. Shizuru was glaring.

"And it's non-negotiable, Natsuki," Shizuru finished.

Natsuki seemed to deflate and let out a long breath, shoulders sagging. There was no arguing with that tone. She looked to Chiaki.

"Right then, where's the mop?"

??

Nao found herself underneath an old sink in one of the lesser used parts of Garderobe, adjusting the water pipe. She needed a cold water supply and for some reason, the tap wasn't working. Humming to herself, she spied a small valve and turned it, hearing water drip into the sink above her.

Humming still, she slid out and turned her attention to the large laundery vats, dipping a thermometer into the steaming water and nodded at the progress. It would be ready for the malt, soon.

Her GEM chirped and she blinked, still unused to the terribly frequent use of the com channels that came with her position as acting Gakeunchou, she tapped the little bead and crossed her arms.

"Zhang here, what's up?"

"Hey Nao," Irina, who was currently acting as her secretary, said cheerfully, "Mai-san, Mikoto-chan and Miyu-san are here. They were looking for the Gakuenchou."

"I'm on my way, tell them to wait in the office and help themselves to whatever they want."

A few moments later, Nao entered the room, smiling brightly at the occupants. They greeted her warmly, although she didn't fail to notice Mikoto frown at her with confusion clear on her expressive. "Well, I know you were expecting someone taller, but that's life, eh?"

Mai shook her head calmly. "Irina-chan already fillled us in. She told us you were checking out a leak in the plumbing," she said, pouring herself a cup of tea, "you have many talents, Nao-chan."

Nao shrugged, her mood too cheerful to be affected by gentle teasing. "Indeed. It's good to see you guys back here, I just hope you have good news."

"I have brought information from the ruins that you and Nina Wang discovered two years ago, Meister Zhang," Miyu said. "There were extensive caverns and tunnels in the vicinity that needed careful investigation."

Nao's interest was piqued now. "What did you find?"

"Notes about the Harmonium," Miyu said, "as well as personal accounts of the time before I came into being. There is one journal in particular that I have had a good deal of trouble understanding. It is written largely in a language I have no knowledge of and have been unable to fully translate. Also, the parts of it that are in our common tongue are abstract and hard to follow."

"May I see it?" Nao asked, leaning forward to take the cloth wrapped package from Miyu. Frowning, she set it down and moved to the small bathroom off the office, snagging a pair of gloves from the first aid kit stowed there. Returning, she settled a pillow on her knee and then set the journal on her lap.

Opening the book, she scanned over the text, running her finger under the clearer lines and nodding as she did. Lifting her eyes to Miyu, she found her gaze gently curious and more kind than she had seen it before. She did not realise that it was because of the unconscious care she took with the old tome.

"I can understand your confusion. This language hasn't been documented as existing on Earl. I'd have to say it's probably an Old Earth language."

"Were there a lot of Old Earth languages?" Mai asked, genuinely curious. She was considered something of a polyglot for being able to speak the common tongue, the traditional language of Zipang, High Florentian and a bit of Kruggespräch.

"Hundreds, by our best guess. But not all of these made their way here and when the first colonists did arrive, there seems to have been a brief period where they all struggled together before one of them asserted itself as the lingua franca and became our common tongue."

"So what's that one?" Mikoto asked.

"Well, the script isn't anything I've ever seen before," Nao said softly. "It's almost like some kind of roman alphabet. Certainly, a lot of the letters are the same but I've never seens anything like the rest. I know someone who might, though. A teacher of mine and a former Gakuenchou of Garderobe is an expert in ancient languages."

Mai blinked, impressed at the authoritative display. From listening to Natsuki, she'd been lef to believe that Nao was some some or sex crazed drunkard who wandered the streets committing crimes.

"Anyway," she continued, "we can't make a decision about letting someone else near information like this until everyone is gathered. We'll put it on ice until then."

"Acceptable," Miyu said calmly. "Thank you for your help, Meister Zhang. There are other records here that Director Helene may find useful."

"Cool," Nao said, "she's a bit busy at the minute, but I'll send a message down to get her up here when she's free."

??

Youko sighed and removed the last electrode from Midori's skin, watching the stern woman sit up and fix her clothes.

"So, what's the diagnosis?" she asked, flicking her hair out of her collar.

"Well, basically, your heart beat is very irregular at rest and even worse when you activate your REM. If you keep using the REM, you'll drop dead from heart failure within a month. If you don't activate the REM, you'll drop dead from heart failure within six months," she said, detaching herself from the reality of her words. Removing herself from the fact that she was speaking about her friend experiencing heart failure and dropping dead.

"I see," Midori said quietly. "What next then? Should I put my affairs in order?"

Youko shook her head. "No, because I'm going to dose you with nanomachines specifically aligned with your circulatory system. The reason you're having these palpitations is because of the progression of the disease and the half-assed nano machines in you aren't helping," she said to Midori's back, wishing the other woman would turn around.

She had a sudden, sickening feeling in her chest and the vision of Midori doing something stupid like wandering into the desert crossed her mind again. She swallowed and continued.

"If we can treat you, with all your crazy extra bits of tech then treating this aspect of the disease in everyone else will be trivially easy."

Interest piqued, Midori turned. "Really? It'd be that easy?"

"Yes," Youko said quietly. "You could help save a lot of lives, if you let me help you."

Midori, despite her general dislike of hospitals and the fact that she'd been resigned to her own death for more than half her life, was a practical woman at heart. If her acting as Youko's guinea pig meant hope for Aswald, she'd consent.

"Alright. Do it."

"It'll take a few days to get everything prepared," Youko breathed, flushing with relief. "And you'll need to stay here and get a lot of rest until then."

"What, rest?" Midori asked, as if scandalised by the thought. Youko glared and Aswald's boss rolled her eyes. "All right, rest."

"Good. Here, take this, I'm not going to leave you in the lab to be gawked at. You can rest in my room."

"Uh, Youko, why are you handing me a bag of i.v. saline solution?" she asked suspiciously.

"Because you've been dehydrated since you discovered a little thing called alcohol, missy," she said, ushering the baffled woman out of the room.

"Oh, that's the other thing, no booze until I say so."

"What?!"

??

Natsuki flopped backwards onto the guest bed in Chiaki's house, sighing with exhaustion. Freshly showered, she felt like sleeping the next few months away. After her highly stressful trip to the celler, where Morgan had managed to abscond with three bottles of brandy and the only lantern they had, her mother had handed her the cleaning gear and sent her to clean out the ball room.

"You know, most people just get the servants to clean the house," Natsuki groused, pouting. Given that the knew for a fact that the scullery maids had spent the day flitting about putting up frilly baby things with Hokuto, the footmen had helped her father balance the billard table (by playing seven sets of snooker with him) and that the butler and cooks had helped her mother and Shizuru choose finger food and perfect the mulled wine recipe, she felt entirely justified in her cranky state.

The ball room was used four times a year; the mid-winter ball, the New Year ball, the mid-summer ball and the Fifth Hunt. She'd spent the day trying to rid the room of the last lingering remnants of the summer ball. She scowled at the memory, wondering childishly what they'd have done if she hadn't been around. Chiaki's statement that her training as a maid would finally be put to use had almost earned her eldest sister a dunk in the lake.

The bed dipped as Shizuru climbed in. The scent of freshly washed skin and hair filled her senses and she opened her eyes to find Shizuru hovering over her with a small smile.

"Did you have a nice day, Natsuki?"

Natsuki merely raised an eyebrow and pulled Shizuru to her, scooting under her and letting the comforting weight of her lover chase away all the bad memories. It sounded like a decent strategy; to hide under Shizuru and hope her family went away. She pouted and buried her face into Shizuru's chest.

"I had a rotten day and feel in need of cuddles," she grumbled. "I told you my family were nuts."

"Ara, not for putting you to work?"

"Yes."

"But Natsuki," Shizuru chided, "you did such a good job."

"Hmph. Less talk; more cuddles. I'm in a very bad mood."

Shizuru chuckled as Natsuki nuzzled the bare skin over her heart.

"I can tell."

??

Nao whistled to herself as she added the large muslim sack to the warm water, the early morning sun streaming through the windows of the old laundery. The rich scent that rose filled Nao with satisfaction and she moved to check the other two steaming vats. All was progressing according to plan.

"Nao!" a voice called and the red headed Column looked up, seeing Mikoto wandering over to her.

"Hey, Mikoto. You're up early."

"Hmm, I don't sleep a lot in the mornings."

"And yet you nap throughout the day?" Nao teased.

"When I can," she replied, raising an eyebrow. "Nao, is this what I think it is?"

Nao just grinned.

"Huh, that explains the smell from you yesterday."

"Right, thank, Mikoto," Nao said, frowning for a moment before brightening . "Anyway, enough about all this," Nao said, "what about you? How's the Nekogami Mountain Park?"

"Lots of fun," she replied happily. "It's better with more people. I'm glad Aswald can come too." A dark look passed over her face. "Some of them are very sick."

Nao nodded, not mentioning Midori because you never knew when she was going to pop out of the woodwork. "They have been for a long time, but everyone's working to cure them. But anyway," she said, wanting to move onto less depressing topics than the slow death of thousands of people, "you had a mountain named after you. That's something. You must be making a fortune from souvineers."

"Lots of people give me food," Mikoto said, her eyes taking on a dreamy glaze, "and Mai has her ramen shop... It's like a dream come true."

"It's kinda cool, though," Nao said, sitting on the sink and staring out at the back of the school. "Being a god and all."

Mikoto shrugged. "The Searrs animals talk to lots of people," she said simply. "I've had more time to get to know them so they like me. "

"Searrs animals?" Nao asked, curiousity piqued. "What are those?"

"Oh," Mikoto said, frowning, "the nice ones. The good ones."

Nao blinked. "OK," she said, bewildered, "and you got on with the cats best?"

"Yup," Mikoto said, grinning, "they looked after me before Mai came."

Nao felt a sudden flash of pathos but didn't let it show. The childish delivery of the statement contrasted with the sheer weight of age in her eyes, years of lonliness never quite forgotton. How could one be so full of mysteries and contradictions as the woman in front of her? It would, she had to admit, probably drive her crazy to spend too much time around her.

"Hey, you eaten breakfast yet?" she asked, relieved when Mikoto's face broke into a wide grin.

??

Midori woke suddenly, as she usually did. She kept her eyes closed and took stock of her surroundings, listening to a set of footsteps tramping outside. Close to her, she could her breathing and she opened her eyes slowing. Youko was curled asleep with her back to her, breathing evenly.

The red head stifled a yawn and poked at the needle in her elbow, scowling at it. She hated being still and doing nothing but the little tube attaching her to the bag of fluid told her that she wasn't going anywhere until Youko told her she could.

Of course, she could do the dramatic thing and rip the i.v. needle out and storm out in a huff. Unfortunately, she'd tried that trick before and not only did it sting like a bitch but she always felt a bit silly afterwards. And Midori of Aswald, fearless leader of a renowned and feared force of desert warriors, was not accustomed to feeling silly.

Besides, it wasn't as if anyone other than Youko would see her like this. If she'd been on the Nekogami Mountain, she doubted she'd have been able to lie still even if she were strapped to the bed. She sighed and closed her eyes, taking the chance for a little more rest.

"Onee-sama!" a scandalised voice squeaked from the hall and Midori snapped her eyes open. The girl burst into giggles and Midori narrowed her eyes, very seriously considering bringing out Gakutenou.

??

Nao was still in high spirits when she meandered into a class full of Corals with one soiltary Pearl sitting reading at the teacher's desk. Recognising a supervised study session when she saw one, she slipped into the room with a wide grin.

"Nao-sama!" the Pearl, one of the Trias, jumped up as she entered. The Corals soon followed suit and Nao felt a mixture of pride and disquiet at the number of blushes adorning cheeks. While some of the girls looked like they'd faint if she even looked them in the eye, some of them looked like they'd have her stripped and over a desk in about thirty seconds flat if they thought they'd get away with it. She shuddered and turned her full attention to the Pearl.

"Ah, Mary-chan, wasn't it?"

"Good morning, Nao-sama," she said brightly, regaining her composure. "What can we do for you today?"

Nao smiled and lifted a piece of chalk. "Well I was thinking, since you guys are all studying, and we all know how dull that can be, that you'd like a break. Something a bit creative and stimulating to jog the mind."

"What a good idea, Nao-sama."

'Course it's a good idea. "Well, I'm glad you think so. So, today's challenge is going to involve a bit of graphic design," she said, drawing a large oval on the blackboard before drawing a rectangle beside it.

??

"Well, jolly good of you to come down to the kennels, Shizuru my dear," Count Kruger boomed, rolling his sleeves up and rubbing his hands together happily. His grey waistcoat stretched over his wide trunk, dust and pieces of straw scattered all over him. Shizuru herself was wearing a (very) old pair of Natsuki's work trousers and a soft cotton shirt. Her long hair tied back, she followed the count with a bemused smile.

Not long after a hearty breakfast, she was keen to get out of the house for at least a few hours. There were only so many h'ors douves she could eat before she began to imagine shattering her Robe with her expaning thighs. A slight pursing of the lips chased the distasteful image away and she wondered how the Kruger's had all managed to be anything less than morbidly obese.

They reached the neatly tended kennels and Kruger entered with more care than she'd ever seen him use before.

"Ah, here we are now!" he called, delight in his voice, muted for once. "Do come and have a look here." When Shizuru arrived level with him, he handed her what she took to be a medium-sized grey dog. The creature nestled into her arms and yawned sleepily, blinking up at her with sleepy blue eyes.

"Oh, how adorable!" she cooed, tickling the creature's tummy.

"She is rather," Kruger agreed, reaching in for another dog, giving him a quick check over. "They're only three weeks old, they won't be up to much for a while yet," he said apologetically. Shizuru leaned over his shoulder, amazed to see five of the pups curled together with their mother underneath a heat lamp in warm, clean straw. The bitch in her arms sniffed her face and licked her chin tentatively, mewling slightly in excitement. Her mother blinked languid eyes, calmly watching proceedings. It seemed the presence of the Count was assurance enough that her little one was safe.

"These are only three weeks old?" Shizuru repeated, drawing her gaze away from the hound, astounded by the solid weight of the animal in her arms. "How big do they get when they're adults?"

"Oh, I'd expect her to break the eighty centimeter mark at the withers, weigh in at around fifty kilos. Nothing out of the ordinary."

Shizuru blinked. Most of the coral students didn't weigh that much when they arrived in Garderobe.

In fact, she was fairly sure Yukino Chrysant didn't weigh fifty kilograms.

"But you know," the big man said, gently lifting the pup and leaving her back to her siblings and mother before turning back to Shizuru. "Back fifty year ago, people tried breeding them too big," he muttered, wandering towards the back door into the yard. He lifted a bag of cattle shin bones as he went, motioning Shizuru to follow.

"Some of those dogs got past the 1.2 meter mark! Can you believe it?" he shouted, free to make as much noise as he wanted to out in the open. Half a dozen Krugerhunds wandered over to him, wagging long tails and lifting massive heads to his elbow. Had any of them wanted, they could have easily head butted Shizuru in the stomach. They made happy noises upon seeing their master and one dark grey bitch made her way to Shizuru, cocking her head to one side and wagging her tail.

"Well, the poor things never made it past a few years old," Kruger continued, lifting the huge lumps of bone and making the hounds sit and wait their turn. None snapped and none misbehaved, Shizuru noted. "Where as we have made it our aim to think of the future of our namesakes, dontcher know. Breed them good and strong to lead a long, happy life rather than this nonsense about piling on two centimeters per litter. This lot is only a bit bigger than the dogs I remember when I was a lad, but by Jove they're not in and out of the vet's surgery every week!"

Shizuru laid her hand on the massive head before her, smiling into the dark, expressive eyes before humming in agreement with Kruger. He handed her a bone which she almost dropped in shock. Those things were much heavier than they looked. The hounds, she noticed, seemed to have no problem carting them around with heads held high.

"You've got a refreshing way of looking at things," she said, having mulled over what Kruger had said. "I imagine a lot of people just want a giant, remarkable dog."

"Well, they do, the fools," he shouted, "what else am I to do though?" he asked, genuinely puzzled. "I mean, what other humane way is there to treat them?"

Shizuru was about to reply when Natsuki rode into the court yard on one of the largest horses Shizuru had ever seen, leading one only slightly smaller. Her heart dropped slightly at the sight of the wide smile on Natsuki's face.

Shinso-sama, did every animal in Kruger County have to be three times its normal size?

??

Nimo Donnell smacked her lips and headed towards the Gakuenchou's office, pausing to glare at students as she did so. Most of them, oblivious to her identity, skipped merrily past.

"You!" she bellowed when one graduated from a skip to a trot, "no running in the halls!" she was gratified when the Coral actually fell flat on her face ffrom shock. She cackled to herself and continued.

"Terrorising the students, Donnell-san?" an Arctic voice said behind her.

"Ah," Donnell said, her smile more a grimace, "Miss Graceburt. A pleasure as always."

The pair of women faced other in the hall, glaring daggers at one another. Miss Maria stepped forward with a cool look on her face.

"I trust you have business here?"

"No, I came to molest the Pearls."

"Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit," Miss Maria replied haughtily.

"Don't you lecture me on wit, my dear," Donnell bit out, "because we both know you wouldn't know wit if it jumped up and bit you in your iron drawers!"

"Well, I never," Miss Maria fumed, lifting her chin and heading down the hall.

"Obviously not, given your qualifications are still intact, you stuck-up little..."

Donnell spent the rest of her short trip to the Gakuenchou's office muttering profacities in several languages and had built herself up quite a head of steam by the time she arrived.

"Juliet, you'd better have prepared yourself for this bloody supervision, given that you dragged me the entire way here!" she snapped, letting herself into the office without knocking. "And the port had..."

She trailed off, blinking in surprise at the sight of none other than Tokiha Mai sitting perched, as proud as punch, on the sofa beside Nao and two other women. Moving as quickly as her arthritic joints would allow, the aged woman stalked across the floor and towards the apoplectic woman. She stood directly in front of her and raised her walking stick, bringing it down between on the top of the forehead with a resounding crack.

"That, you _stupid_ girl, is for vanishing with a Column GEM of Garderobe!"

Mai slid off the sofa in an untidy heap, groaning and clutching her head as she went. Nao's mouth hung open and a cold feeling of dread built in her stomach.

Oh shit.

Mikoto bounded to her mate's side. "Mai!" she cried, worry lacing her voice, "are you OK?"

"Argh, I'm fine, Mikoto," she said letting the short woman guide her back to her seat and kept a firm grip on her. "I deserved that."

"Actually," Miyu supplied, "penalty for theft of a Coulmn GEM is-" Nao leapt across the couch and clamped her hand over Miyu's mouth, earning a glare from the android. She swallowed thickly.

Donnell was paying no heed to all this, opting to glare at the buxom red head. "Well? Where's the bloody GEM?" She squinted, then blanched. "You have the gall to wear it?! Who's your Master?"

"Um, that's be Mikoto," Mai said, her brains still rattling around in her skull. "But, it wasn't her fault. She didn't know she was't meant to eat it."

Donnell's watery blue eyes widened and she began blinking very, very rapidly. She turned to Mikoto.

"You ate a Meister GEM?"

"I was hungry," Mikoto stated, with slight exasperation. Why did Otome always ask the same question?

Crack.

"That, you _bloody_ stupid, ignorant, _idiotic_, numbskulled..."

Nao sighed and lifted her hand from Miyu's face, smiling a worried smile. "She could go on for a while like that. We're going to need something stronger than port."

??

Chie sat down and heaved a sigh. There was a terribly tall pile of paper work sitting beside her and a full morning devoted to diminishing it had so far returned quite dissapointing results. She cupped her chin in her hand and let her mind wander, playing the game of blowing her hair from in front of her eyes, letting it fall and repeating the process.

She was getting a surprising amount of milage out of the diversion when her phone rang. Shaking the fatique and boredom from her limbs, she lifted the receiver.

"Major Hallard speaking, how may I help?"

"Ah, Major Hallard, good morning," came the usual booming tones of Brigadier General Haruka Armitage, "I trust all is well in Wind City?"

"Everything's well here, Brigadier General. I hope all is well on your end."

"Fine, fine," Haruka muttered, trailing off into uncharacteristic silence. "Chie, listen, I need help," she rushed out. "Serious help."

Chie straightened in her chair and reached to record the call. "Brigadier General, I'm taping this conversation. The coersion code sequence is June Alpha Epsilion."

"No!" Haruka yelped, "damn it, this isn't a military matter... I'm calling you as a friend."

"Oh, Chie said, confusion filling her mind. "Um, all right. You're not being recorded."

"Good. Now, look, usually I ask my mother about this kind of stuff, but she's skiiing. Or Viola, but she's vanished to god knows where ever..."

"Perhaps you should start from the beginning, Brigadier General," Chie sighed, leaning backwards in her chair.

"Oh, OK. Well, Yukino's fifth adversity is next week."

"Excuse me?"

"As president-"

"Anniversary, Brigadier General."

"That's what I said! Anyway, what do you get for someone for their fifth anniversary as the head of state?"

Chie's jaw dropped. This had certainly not been in her job description. "Are you serious?"

"Absolutely. None of the aides know what to get either," Haruka snorted, "I bet they all forgot, too."

Chie rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. "Well, I dunno, flowers?"

"Damn it Hallard!" Haruka roared, "that's your answer to everything! Think outside the plower pot, woman!"

Chie held the phone a small distance from her ear and scowled at it for a moment. "All right then, jewellery."

"No, she doesn't really like wearing stuff like that apart from watches and I got her one of those for her birthday."

"But you always see her wearing it on state occasions," Chie said, frowning.

"Yeah, yeah, fashion designers fall over themselves trying to get her to wear their stuff," Haruka said, twiddling a lock of hair around her index finger as she paced her hanger. Years previous, the people in the Hexgon had realised the futility of giving Haruka an enclosed office and of giving her a phone with a cord.

"Wow, cool," Chie mused, "like being a movie star or something..."

"Focus Hallard!" Haruka barked, "come on, what else?"

"Um, clothes?"

"No."

"Perfume?"

"No."

Chie hit her head off the desk. "A weekend break to a luxury spa?"

"Are you joking? Yukino doesn't get holidays."

"Crap. Um, Shoes?"

"I was thinking about shoes, but then I realised it was my own desire for more shoes speaking through."

"Brigadier General, you're a lot more girly than many people think, aren't you?" Chie mused, listening to Haruka bite her nails (or possible actual nails, knowing Haruka). "Hmm... Well, what does she like?"

"Going to the opera and the theatre, but her P.R. office gets tickets to everything. She likes computers too, but she gets them from the Hexagon too." Haruka hummed. "She likes history and reading and stuff, but every time some stupid egg head professor publishes anything she gets a copy."

"Bookshelves then?"

"Hallard!"

"Sorry, sorry," she muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose after swiping her glasses off. "I dunno, make her a macaroni picture of her being elected president?"

There was silence on the other side of the phone for quite a while.

"Brigadier General, that last one was in jest; don't even think of giving her a macaroni picture."

"Well, she only has a couple of them, and none of her being sworn in..."

"No! Put that out of your mind," Chie pleaded. She sighed. "I want to say flowers again, have you put enough thought into them?"

"Hallard, I mean it! Stop that. No flowers." Haruka was silent for a long time. "What about you, what was the last thing you got your girlfriend?"

Chie scowled. "Well, thanks to a certain pair of randy Columns-"

"Damn that tea-slipping lunatic..." Haruka grumbled, kicking the steps beside Aries Force One.

"No," Chie said, propping her head up in her hand, "another pair, actually."

Haruka was quiet for a minute. "You mean Maya and Sarah finally got it together?"

"No," Chie sighed, "Sarah and Nao Zhang. Remember her?"

"Oh, the one that stripped Kruger, yeah. I like her, nice girl," Haruka said, smiling fondly at the memory and wiping a speck of dirt off the Suzushiro.

Chie blinked. Stripped Kruger? She decided that she didn't want to know.

"Anyway, what did you do to your girlfriend?"

"I flippantly asked her to marry me and am now engaged," Chie sighed, smiling wryly at the memory. "But, you know, I'm glad I did. Even though I opened my flank to all sorts of silly wedding talk like, about how Windbloom's OK, but Aries just isn't the same."

Haruka blinked. "It isn't? What? Chie, that's not true. I was at my cousin Casper's wedding two months ago and he was certainly marrying a man."

"Well, the way it works is through a loop hole in the Civil Union Bill. It was ambiguously worded so most of the Registrars just go ahead and approve the unions. It's been like that for a long, long time."

"Right, so people can get married."

"Well, no, they can register as civil partners, but the Constitution of Aries still states, kinda by accident, that marriage is between a man and a woman."

"Oh, Section Four, Paragraph Six? The individual rights and responsibilities of a man and a woman shall not be changed or altered by their entering into the institution of marriage?" Haruka calmly said, then blinked, actually listening to the words she'd learned off by heart so long ago and finding new meaning.

"Uh, yeah, actually. It was designed to prevent tax fraud and work place discrimination and to demonstrate how women were being consciously included in the constitution. The fact that it stayed on means that technically, two people of the same sex can't marry in Aries. In practice they can-"

"Chie! This is an infringement of our rights! Damn it, this is a scandal!" Haruka said, sounding absolutely outraged.

"Uh, not really, it's just a small, legal point. I mean, no one actually cares..."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Haruka roared, "this is a travesty! This needs to be changed!"

"Well, I mean, yeah, at some stage, for full parity-"

"Give me parity or give me death!" Haruka declared, taking a deep breath. "If I remember correctly, then I can get this whole thing kicked out-"

'Off, Brigadier General."

"Off, if I collect a certain number of signatures in a petition, right?"

"Well, yeah, but you'd need about a hundred thousand-"

"Yeah!" Haruka laughed, hopping on one foot. "There's like a million people in the city, so all I need is a tenth and it's set, right?" She cleared her throat. "Good work Major Hallard. I'll have a hundred thousand, no, wait, better make it a hundred and twenty thousand to be safe, signatures for Yukino's anniversary! Thank you, Chie!"

With that, the Brigadier General signed off leaving a pale and shaky Chie in her chair. She sat staring at the phone for a long moment, wondering what the implications of what she'd done would be.

There was a knock at the door and her sergeant stuck his head in. "Excuse me, Major Hallard. Sorry to disturb but Corporal Bernard is doing a lunch run and we wondered if you'd like a sandwich?"

Chie blinked and swallowed thickly. "I think I'll take the rest of the day off, Sergeant. When The President finds out what I've just done, she's either going to hang me or send me to the far end of the world."

The sergeant blinked. "Major?"

??

Sarah Gallagher bowed to a passing student and swept her hat off, earning a blush and a titter as she passed. She chuckled to herself as she continued on her way to the Gakuenchou's office. She figured, after such an enjoyable afternoon and evening, Nao deserved a cheerful goodbye. Who knew, perhaps she'd even elicit a promise for future visits? A nice casual arrangement never hurt anyone, afterall.

Striding towards the office, she nodded to those in the halls, taking a moment to actually stop and bow as Miss Maria passed her. To her surprise, the busy Otome stopped and let out something resembling a very polite snort.

"You know, if you're headed for the Gakuenchou's office, that Nimo Donnell is currently there with Meister Zhang, Meister Mai, Nekogami Mikoto and Miyu-san." Sarah's usual sunny smile froze on her face. Miss Maria merely smiled.

"Oh? You were unaware? I see."

Miss Maria continued down the corridor while Sarah stood there, frozen half way through a neat bow. After a few minutes, she shakily righted herself and turned on her heel, fleeing Garderobe and not looking back until she was safely on the transport to Florence.

??

Shizuru knocked politely at the heavy wooden door before her. The dark, aged wood told of centuries of use and care and after a moment, a soft voice called her in.

"Good afternoon, my dear Shizuru," Freya Kruga said, greeting the elegant young woman with a happy laugh. "Ah, but my young ones have had you busy in the kennels and stables I suppose!"

Shizuru ducked her head and sighed. "I am sorry I came up in such a state, but Hokuto-san sent me up telling me it was imperative to move with all haste," she said, meeting the kind eyes of Natsuki's grandmother, the elegant, graceful Freya Kruger.

"My dear, if Hokuto had been less hasty then I would have donned my wellingtons myself and met you in the yard. My little Natsuki is running the hounds, I hear?"

Shizuru nodded and allowed herself to be led to the suittee. "Such a love for those dogs!" she said laughter pealing like silver bells through the little tower room. The Countess Kruger had chosen indulged her whims when she'd chosen her retirement quarters and currently occupied the south tower of the manor. The little, slightly shabby suittee they were on faced a large window through which the rolling hills of Kruger county gambolled to the grey sea to the east and to the soaring mountain range that ringed the tiny province to the south and west.

"Have you been well?" Shizuru enquired politely, turning to face the woman. "You did not come down during the summer."

"Oh," she scoffed, "more than all right. The travelling and the inane chatter of those kinds of events didn't appeal to me. I was more concerned with staying here and having a bit of a rest."

"Oh?" Shizuru asked, feigning surprise. "Your retirement as Countess is not relaxing?"

Freya raised an eyebrow. "My dear, you have met my two beloved children, haven't you? Tell me which of those is best suited to being a dog breeder, which is best suited to being a layabout and which is best suited to governing a county?"

Shizuru shook her head. "They are not hopeless."

"Oh," Freya sighed, "they rather are. But Chiaki isn't, she's a fine, sensible girl. When I'm really ready to go, she'll take care of things." She paused for a long moment. "You must think I'm awful, speaking this way about my own children but I assure you, I do it to protect them."

"I see," Shizuru mused. "What in the world is so threatening?"

"Nothing that exists now, my dear," she said, eyes flicking away from Shizuru. "But tell me about Garderobe, bring me some stories to tell! I'll only have my beloved grand-daughter to myself for a short time so tell me all!"

Shizuru dipped her head for a moment, composing herself against the emotion that such gentle, unassuming acceptance brought. To find it not only with your own kin, but also with those of the woman she had pledged to spend her life with was a rare gift. "Well, to begin with, Mother, Father and Yuri send you their love."

??

"Have you been behaving?" Youko asked her new room mate. Midori replied by making of show of restraining herself from tossing a book at Youko's head.

"I'm bored, Youko! This is a torture far worse than death," she sullked. "Surely I can't have been that dehydrated?"

Youko raised an elegant eyebrow and sat beside her patient. "I can sedate you, if you'd prefer," she murmured, slipping two fingers against Midori's throat. "Even with the fluids you've had, you're still so irregular," she said, quietly. The stoic leader of the Aswald lay half reclined on the mountain of pillows, watching her old friend.

"Have you a plan?"

"I do," Youko said quietly. "It will involve some surgery, but nothing terribly invasive. The problem is, you'll need to be conscious throughout to activate your REM. If you aren't there's a high probability that the next time you fire up your REM, it will kill you."

Midori nodded before reaching out a hand. "Explain it to me fully."

Youko sighed and holded Midori's rough hand between two of her own.

"Well, we'll start with a couple of local anesthetics..."

??

"Can I come in, Mashiro-chan?" Arika asked, knocking gently and poking her head around her master's bedroom door. Mashiro was sitting at her dressing table, idly brushing her hair. She smiled at the sight of her Otome and nodded, blushing slightly as she approached.

"So, uh, have a nice day?" Arika asked, smiling nervously as she approached, meeting Mashiro's gaze in the mirror.

"It wasn't too bad," Mashiro said, setting her brush down. "I got a message from Garderobe too, apparently Midori's there and was wondering if we were free for a while tomorrow morning."

"Oh, wow," Arika breathed, "what's she doing here?"

"I have no idea, to be honest," Mashiro shrugged. "I know we were meant to be having a day off, do you mind?"

"No, not at all," Arika chirped with a smile. Biting her lip, she stood behind her friend, meeting her clear green eyes in the mirror. Between various duties, they hadn't seen much of each other since arriving back from their picnic. "Did you have a time the other day, Mashiro-chan?"

The Queen smiled and nodded. "I did, thank you. It was a nice break from the madness of the castle."

"Um, would you like to do it again sometime?" Arika asked, twisting her fingers in her skirts.

"You're making it sound like a date, Arika," Mashiro teased, watching a tint of pink spread over Arika's ears. It matched the colour of her own cheeks.

Arika bit her lip and lowered her eyes from Mashiro's in the mirror, sighing as she did. She seemed, to the diminutive ruler anyway, to be fighting some sort of internal battle. Her shoulders bounced once and it seemed that her resolve was set. She knelt down in front of her master and took her hands in her own, a frown marring her brow.

"OK, so, back when I was in Garderobe, there were lots of Otome that kissed other Otome."

"Well duh, everyone knows about that," Mashiro scoffed. Arika tugged at her hands, making a sound of frustration.

"Mashiro-chan, listen! All I'm saying is that you and me, well, back then we were both tired and kinda upset. These things happen." She took a deep breath. "So, it doesn't count, right?" Noting the look of shock and disbelief on Mashiro's face, she bulled ahead.

"What does matter is that you're my friend and that I care for you very much," she whispered. "And I don't have many friends that I can be so close to. And I don't want to loose you over a little kiss. Girls kiss each other all the time, right?"

Mashiro shrugged, looking away. It was the first time she'd kissed a girl. It had been the first time she'd really kissed anyone. Anger welled up in her and she felt tears gathering. How dare Arika, who had been the one to avoid her in the first place, trivialise this! The hours she'd spent doing exactly the same thing were, somehow, forgotten.

"I mean, I've kissed plenty of girls, back in Garderobe," Arika prattled on, "and I've heard all sorts of stories about Shizuru-onee-sama and Ahn-sama and especially about Sarah Gallagher. And I remembered all the things Miss Maria said about being a good Otome and not getting into a close relationship with my master and, I guess, I just want things to be the way they were."

Mashiro looked down at her Otome, and at the tears pooling in her big blue eyes.

"I missed you, Mashiro-chan," she whispered sadly. "I just want to be a good friend and a good Otome and I'm sorry for kissing you and I'm sorry for not talking to you and-"

Arika's long and protracted apology was cut off by Mashiro throwing herself into her Otome's arms and grabbing her in a tight embrace.

"You idiot," she whispered, "I wasn't mad at you for kissing me, I kiss you every damn time you need a Robe," she chuckled, feeling tears slide down her face. "I want everything back to normal too."

"Good," Arika sniffled, petting Mashiro's head. "Then we're agreed. Everything goes back to normal."

"Yeah," Mashiro sighed in relief. She closed her eyes, regret swelling with what she was about to say, knowing it was for the best. Knowing that no matter what their feelings, their relationship could never deepen. She felt as if she were sealing off a part of her heart with her word but it was the simplist way forward and, if nothing else, Arika was a sweetly simple creature.

"Just no more kissing, OK?"

??

Chie knocked on the door to Aoi's quarters, her whole body feeling stiff and jittery. Her beloved opened the door, shining eyes immediately clouding with worry.

"Chie? What's wrong?"

"I think I've just gone and fucked things up, Aoi," she whispered. "I mean, when the president finds out..."

Aoi lifted an eyebrow in admonishment against the profanity and led Chie in through her door.

"Come on, you'd better tell me all about it."

??

Shizuru and Natsuki were curled together on the sofa in Chiaki's living room, Natsuki dozing in the circle of Shizuru's arms. The fair Otome smiled to herself and petted her lover's hair.

"Is she asleep, Shizuru-san?" Chiaki asked, re-entering the room and handing Shizuru a mug of warm tea.

"More or less, Chiaki-san," she replied, watching her beloved sleep. "She had quite a busy day."

"Dad told me he'd had her out exercising the Krugerhunds. That's a pretty fierce workout in itself."

Shizuru nodded. "We went for a short horse ride and when we returned, Natsuki took the dogs out for a run."

It should be noted that Krugerhunds, being bred for the chase and kill rather than stalking or flushing, are capable of reaching speeds of up to sixty kilometers per hour in brief bursts when properly motivated. Sufficed to say, the presence of one Count Kruger bellowing out instructions to his daughter gave her sufficient motivation to try and get the hounds moving that quickly.

"Yes, well," Chiaki muttered, smiling softly, "she did always love the hounds. Did she ever tell you about Lupe?"

"Lupe? I don't think so."

"Well," Chiaki began, curling her feet beneath her on her favourite armchair, "Lupe was our pride and joy, back when we were children. She was the most magnificent bitch any of us had ever seen. She was tall and had a strong back, with this enormous, blocky head and gorgeous blue eyes. She was a meter tall at the shoulder and stronger than an ox. She was born on Natsuki's fifth birthday and from the moment she was two months old, Natsuki and she were inseparable. They slept in the same stall out in the kennels during the summer and everything."

Shizuru smiled at the story and shifted Natsuki against her slightly, letting her beloved curl more securely into her arms.

"Tell me more."

"Well, they were the best of pals. Natsuki learned to ride and the pair of them and her pony used to set out into the country for days at a time. One time when she went out, the three of them were attacked by a pack of Ystercurs," Chiaki paused, remembering the bloody, torn skin of her sister's back and the ragged bandages around Lupe's neck. She sighed and continued.

"Well, Natsuki told me that there were four of them and that Lupe killed two before one of them got her by the throat. Natsuki, being Natsuki, lifted a bloody great lump of branch and walloped the creature around the skull. There was a bounty on their heads so my grandmother and myself went out to collect them. And let me tell you, one of those things had had its head caved in."

Shizuru looked down at the woman sleeping in her arms and rested her cheek against the cool brow half concealed by dark hair. "What a fool, taking on those horrible beasts." Growing up in the city, she'd only ever heard rumours of giant, fierce hyena-like creatures that roamed the more remote parts of Eorl, the descendants of attack animals become scavengers that had grown fat on the corpses of soldiers from the Twelve Kingdoms war. She had never seen one up close but had once heard their howls and yowls while on assignment and more than anything else she was likely to encounter, they stirred an atavistic terror in her. Frowning, she raised her eyes to Chiaki once more.

"But she survived. Did Lupe?"

"She did. She had five litters of pups in all, too." Chiaki sighed and looked at her little sister. "The two of them were beaten and bloody when they arrived back from that, but they were both so proud. They'd protected each other and the pony and knew that they'd done the right thing."

Shizuru smiled down at her oblivious lover and sighed. "Just like Natsuki."

"Indeed," Chiaki agreed. "She's like one of those Earth animals you hear about, I forget which one, but always willing to take on any danger to keep those she loves safe. A lamb in the home, but a lion in the chase."

"Ara," Shizuru said, smiling contentedly, "she's always been a lamb around me,"

??

Nao sighed with exhaustion, wiping a tired hand across her eyes and blowing out a puff of air. At least, with a few more quick modifications, the system would be up and running within the hour.

Water dripped in the background and Nao grinned at her work before hopping onto the tiled floor.

Not so bad for a day's work, she thought with a cheery grin.


	4. Moonlight and moonshine

Well, here we go with another installment. This one is a good deal shorter than the previous three chapters and given that people have left positive remarks about there being nice long chapters (something I'm fond of myself) I feel quite bad. I was going to hold off updating but then remembered the nightmare of using 's story editing tool to get things right. I'm afraid I'm choosing brevity as the better part of valour. Hopefully this will mean more regular updates, though.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to leave a review, espeically Azfixiation and devil urd who not only took the time to point the mistakes with the formatting but also then went back and read the story when it was fixed. Thanks also to Lacrime Koan, kikyo4ever, nolens volens and Vanilla Slash for the comments left.

Once again, Sunrise owns any characters and scenarios you recognise although there have been a large number of Mel Brooks gags sneaked into this chapter. See if you can spot them!

Gorms

??

The early morning mist curled around Haruka Armitage's ankles, swirling down the streets and alley ways of Capra City, fading where the weak sun hit it. Tall buildings on either side of the wide street were lit with buttery light where the morning's slanted rays of sun warmed the fine stone facades. The stout Otome took a deep breath and stuck out her lower lip. Behind her, several dozen members of the Aries LBGTQ stood yawning and blinking.

"Excuse me," one Leo Bloom started, tiredly running a hand through his dark hair, "Brigadier General-"

"No!" Haruka snapped, spinning on her heel. "Yukino told me ages ago that if you got the military to force people to do things, it wasn't a democracy. So, until I get the signatures, I'm just plain old Haruka Armitage."

"OK," he hummed, flicking through the stack of sheets. "And we can't publicise this event, either?"

"No," Haruka snapped, "that would ruin the surprise. We need to make sure no one blows this operation," she muttered, frowning down the empty street. "It's already six thirty, where the hell is everyone?"

A young woman at the back shrugged and shouldered her sack of petition sheets. "No where in this part of town opens until ten, Haruka-sama."

"Oh," Haruka said, worrying her lip. "Damn. Right, down to the meat and veg markets; those guys are _always_ up early."

??

Light streamed into the guest room that Nao had claimed, warming the room through the large windows. She stretched herself out, feeling her spine shift and pop as she went through some quick exercises. She'd had a late night coupled with an early morning and if the fruits of her labours hadn't been so close to ripening, she'd have been in a foul mood.

As it was, she yawned sleepily and peered blearily at the monitor in front of her, bringing up several live feeds and felt a grin tug at her features. She leaned back in her chair and giggled slightly at the sight of dozens of student Otome showering. She could see the DVD sales now; _Otome Uncovered_ Volumes I through X! Obligingly, a pair started a tickle fight and Nao felt the warmth of immanent monetary gain.

Adding up a few rough estimates on her fingers, she nodded to herself and sipped her strong coffee. By the time Natsuki and Shizuru arrived back, she'd be rich, she reckoned.

She sighed and finished off her brew before heading into the more remote reaches of Garderobe. Despite the madness with Mai and Donnell the previous day, she'd managed to get her beer bottled before it went rancid. Her gin, however, was going to need a firmer hand. Resolved, she set off to the still she'd hidden in the old pump house, a merry swing to her step.

??

Natsuki was whistling to herself as she showered, an old Kruger county air that she'd known as long as she could remember. Someone had told her it had been known as _Engel_ once upon a time.

Shizuru meandered into the en suite, watching her nude lover with appreciative eyes. "My, someone's in a good mood today," she remarked, sitting on the laundry basket and laughing aloud when Natsuki gave her a cheeky wriggle of the hips before shutting the shower off.

"I am, actually," Natsuki chirped, stealing a quick kiss before reaching for a towel, "how do you fancy a nice day away wandering around the coast? I already spoke to Youko and she said the Core was in perfect shape and that now was the perfect time for frivilous Materialisations."

"Really?" Shizuru purred, wrapping her arms around her soggy lover and smiling widely. "It sounds lovely," she breathed, kissing Natsuki deeply. "A perfect way to spend the day."

Natsuki took a deep breath and grinned, pressing herself between Shizuru's legs and nipping at her throat, indulging herself in her lover's taste and scent. Her most precious moments had been spent surrounded by this scent; by this feeling. She sighed and let herself be held in strong arms, burying her face into Shizuru's neck and wondering what she'd ever done to deserve such love.

??

"Excuse me!" Haruka shouted, wielding a large megaphone, "hello, good people of Capra City, the finest city in Aries! May I have your attention?"

The fact that Haruka was precariously balanced on a perilously stacked crate of cabbages and wearing a rainbow flag like a cape made it very difficult to not give her ones full and undivided attention.

"Today I come before you not in an official capacity. Am I making this clear? I'm not here as a representative of the Aries Military!"

"Um, also," Leo piped up, snagging her megaphone, "she isn't a member of this organisation either, is she?" he asked pointedly. "She's here as a private volunteer offering assistance to a worthy cause." Leo was, of course, aware of the fact that members of the Aries Army were debarred from membership in political organisations and despite his irritation at having to give up a few days of his free time, he didn't want the well intentioned woman getting in any trouble.

"Oh, yeah, that," Haruka mumbled, snatching the megaphone back. "Thanks, kid. So, we've got a petition here and we need people to sign it. Everyone form an orderly line, this'll only take a minute."

"Brigadier General-"

"Hey!"

"Uh, sorry, Armitage-sama," one pork merchant piped up, "what are we signing?"

"Well, it's a petition to change the constitution to allow people of the same sex to get married," she said, frowning slightly. "It's an anniversary present for Yukino, so you have to keep it quite too, you know. Got me? I'll let anyone who signs it jump out and yell 'surprise!' with me as well, OK?"

The merchant looked to his peers with a slightly baffled look. "You mean you're changing the law just so the president can marry you?"

"What?" Haruka asked, blinking. "No, I'm doing this for parity and justice and equality," she said, folding her arms. "I'm way too young to get married," she muttered to herself. She had absolutely no intention of doing something like that while her mother was still around to stuff her into a stupid dress or while Yukino was still in office.

"Ah," the man cried, his selective deafness rearing its head, "that's so romantic! It's true love!"

"It is," an elderly turnip farmer gushed, dabbing her eyes with her shawl, "I knew you two just had to be together, it's so obvious from the way you act."

"Just hold on!" Haruka stammered, blushing mightily, "this isn't about me!"

"I want to be the first to put pen to paper!" a pepper pickerel shouted. "I will gladly follow the noble President Chrysant and her loyal Otome as they guide the way to a truly tolerant Aries!"

"No, I shall be the first," a beef jerker proclaimed, "for the sake of my son and his young man!"

"No, me!" someone else shouted. The normally bustling market was suddenly gripped by such a fervour, such an excitement and such enthusiasm the likes of which had not been seen since the Great Rhubarb Shortage several years previous. Cheers and cries gripped the vendors as they rushed the small group of volunteers.

Eyes widened as the stampede enveloped the bottom of the stack of cabbages holding Haruka and Leo aloft.

"Oh man," Haruka sighed, calmly grabbing the young man as the crates began to collapse, "I think I'm in over my head."

"You think?!"

??

Chie snuggled deeper into the haven of Aoi's warm arms, rubbing the side of her face against the other woman's soft flannel pyjamas, eyes unfocused without her specs. Aoi was petting her hair and humming softly to her, running a comforting hand around her ear.

"Are you awake?" the maid asked, unable to see her fiancee's face properly. She nodded glumly and Aoi chuckled. "Come on now, it's almost time to get up. I need to go and see about her Majesty."

"You're so callous," Chie muttered, her hands flat and still on Aoi's warm sides and sighed sadly. "This is the end. I'll be sent to the ends of the continent, stripped of my rank and probably flogged."

"You do realise you're being overly dramatic about nothing, don't you?" Aoi chided. "While the Brigadier General does tend to get carried away, she won't do anything stupid or illegal. I don't see what you're worried about."

The Major sighed and closed her eyes. "It's like I've taken a wind up toy and wound it up as high as it will go and set it rampaging through a doll's house. And as soon as the dust settles and the insurance claims are sorted, President Chrysant is going to see the winding key in my hands."

"Oh darling," Aoi chuckled, "you're such a drama queen sometimes. Come on, time to get up and face the day."

??

Arika trotted into the royal dining room, snagging a plate full of food for breakfast before taking a seat opposite Mashiro. The young queen lifted her head and smiled in greeting, quickly reading over the last of the document in front of her before setting it aside and returning to her repast.

"Did you sleep well last night, Mashiro-chan?" Arika asked around a mouth full of food.

"Fine, thanks," she replied, not admitting that she'd enjoyed a more settled night than any in the previous few months. Arika's bright smile warmed her and she couldn't help but return it. Despite being alone in the bed, she'd felt as if the camaraderie and affection they shared that had been twisted into something awkward had finally been returned to normal.

"Are you ready to go to Garderobe?" she asked, "I thought we could go sooner rather than later."

"Sure," Arika chirped, also feeling the benefit of having unburdened herself. "It'll be fun."

Soon afterwards, the pair left the rarefied air of the palace and found themselves in the fragrant gardens of Garderobe. Fruits weighed on trees, delicate little cherries and puckered crab apples winking beneath wide leaves. Flowers had begun to abandon their domain and were being replaced by berries and copper tinted leaves. Conifers braced their stately boughs for the winter ahead as other trees began their slow and graceful retreat, their shedding foliage a noble bow to the year's weather and summer bounty. Mashiro wrapped her coat more securely around her shoulders and smiled. She was fond of the autumn, despite its quiet melancholy. Although truth be told the climate of Windbloom rarely swung to extremes of weather and as a child, the passage of seasons had been marked by social events rather than natural ones.

Arika hummed beside her, apparently not feeling the light chill at all. They headed straight for the Principal's office and greeted Nao, Arika frowning without ill intent at the incongruous sight of her in Kruger's chair.

"You looked really strange there, Nao-sempai," she said after greeting her. Nao smiled toothily and went to order more tea from the Corals assigned to serving duty. Arika was pleasantly surprised to find Mai, Mikoto and Miyu seated on the low sofa along with Midori.

"Wow," she said, grinning, "this is a fantastic gathering!" she said, embracing Mai warmly.

"Arika-chan," Mai pouted, "stop growing! You're taller than me already."

"Yeah, bean sprout," Midori chuckled, "you're catching up on me too."

"Humph," Mikoto groused. "There's more to life than being tall, right Mashiro?"

Mashiro nodded vigourously in agreement. "They're all too tall." Mai shook her head and wrapped an affectionate arm around Mashiro's shoulders. The young queen the urge to squirm at such an impertinent display but restrained herself. These were her friends and they were away from the prying, judgmental eyes of the general populace. Perhaps if she hadn't been so starved for regular affection, she wouldn't still be entertaining notions of impropriety with her Otome.

Midori stood and clasped hands with each of them in turn and Mashiro was surprised to see the normally fierce woman looking somewhat mellowed. The gauntness and lines of impending exhaustion she often displayed were no where to be seen and the young queen wondered at the cause.

??

Quiet isolation wrapped around Garderobe's Gakuenchou as she sat in the lounge of a quiet hotel looking out over a remote bay and the headland beyond. Herself and Shizuru had ventured north from Kruger County and found themselves in cooler climes. The sky was patchy with low heavy clouds that raced in silence, damp shadows preceding them. The wind was quick and chilly outside, whipping grey brown trees and teasing wisps of spray from the curling edges of waves. The boom of the surf and the urgent, insistent wind were muted through the window, adding an odd, surreal patina to the world outside. The barman was one of the few people she'd heard carry a tune when they whistled as he wiped down the surface of the already spotless bar.

The early afternoon sun, when it appeared, was still bright and crisp on the foliage sweeping down to the sea but low enough to catch the concave interior of each wave below the foaming crest for brief moments. The sea was not ebbing and flowing, she thought, rather racing and being dragged back under duress. In the middle of the bay spray was rising over a line of submerged rocks like a great twisted mane; rearing and hiding as the tide swelled and receded.

Natsuki took a small sip of wine and let herself relax. In this peaceful, airless bar the time she spent taking in the fitful play of colour across the water fell free of the tyranny of clocks. These moments could have stretched over entire days, well into twilight, or have passed by in the time it took to button a coat against wet squalls. It was not often that she allowed herself to refrain from portioning out every minute of her time and she was once again grateful to her beloved for bringing her away.

Soft footsteps on the thick hotel carpet drew both her attention and a small smile. Shizuru paused long enough to nod at the barman and order a carafe of wine before sitting on a stool beside her. Natsuki's smile tried to spread across her serious face and had to be hidden behind a hand. Shizuru said nothing but leaned an elbow on the bar beneath the window, casually moving a paper coaster aside. The fair woman knew it would only be matter of time before she demanded some attention from her reticent partner and was beginning to consider how best to elicit it.

"That was a big one," she muttered idly as a arching turquoise funnel reared joyfully into the air before throwing itself into the murky, silty waters close to shore. Natsuki nodded and moved her hand.

"There were bigger ones earlier. I think it's going to start raining."

"It's very flighty weather up here, isn't it? It would be better if it could decide what to do," Shizuru commented. The barman appeared behind her and placed a clean glass on the paper coaster. He poured a small mouthful into the bottom of Shizuru's glass. Smiling a charming smile she assured him that she trusted his judgement when it came to vintage and he filled the glass before setting the carafe between them on the table.

Natsuki couldn't help but smile at the unconscious display of easy elegance and turned her face towards Shizuru. She knew that her lover had been waiting for some acknowledgement and a satisfied smile played on her lips. Natsuki tried not to catch her eyes, she really did, but Shizuru had a habit of drawing ones attention precisely where she wanted it. The warmth and fondness in her dark eyes were not hidden in that small lounge. There were no students waiting for their attention nor were there pointed glares from Miss Maria. Out of her usual gown and dressed in much a simpler outfit, Shizuru looked younger, much lighter, than she had done for a long time. She was salty and slightly tousled from their earlier aerial trip and her soft hair still seemed slightly damp.

But her eyes! Those gentle, expressive eyes. Natsuki felt privileged to be allowed to return that frank stare; she had felt so for over a decade. The intimacy between them in moments like this, when the rest of the world could not bother them, made all those flirtatious actions Shizuru was prone to ring as hollow as they were. It let her know that as embarrassed as Natsuki might be, and as jealous, she knew she was loved.

And Shizuru, lost in eyes reflecting the flighty sun off the back of transient waves, knew that the feeling was absolutely mutual.

??

Mikoto and Arika laughed and smashed into each other again, dust rising around them as they clashed on the Garderobe practice grounds. Knowing that neither could hurt the other, the two friends were jeering and taunting with gusto, blowing raspberries and acting like children. The fact that they'd left large craters in the field wasn't bothering either of them.

"They're amazing," Midori murmured, shielding her eyes and watching the pair. "Arika seems almost as strong as Rad tells me her mother was," she said softly. Mashiro flinched at the statement, knowing that it had been Rad who killed Lena in the end. Mai watched the fight with the detached air of an expert, occasionally calling out advice.

"Lena was legendary," Mai agreed. "She destroyed GEMs because they couldn't contain her power. The fact that Arika's done the same thing is astounding. Come to think of it, the fact that she can unleash the Sapphire is pretty astounding too. It's said to be one of the most powerful GEMs in existence."

Mashiro drew her knees to her chin and sighed, watching her friend spar. Mai, noticing the small queen's melancholy, nudged her with her shoulder.

"What's wrong, Mashiro-chan?"

Mashiro signed again and leaned her head against Mai's shoulder wincing as Mikoto landed a particularly hard blow. She felt Mai twitch when Arika returned the shot.

"There's so much we don't understand," she said quietly. Midori settled beside the little queen and nodded.

"Youko and I have been working on new treatments for the Sickness, trying to come up with something that can benefit everyone. The nanomachines are shrouded in mystery. I'm starting to wonder if the people who first used them even understood them fully."

The three women settled, watching the battle below. Arika flew up a few feet before flinging herself back towards Mikoto, grinning like a lunatic the entire time.

"We think that we've reached the pinnacle of our knowledge," Midori continued softly, "but we're only scratching at the surface of what was intentionally sealed away. We need to understand why these things were sealed before we attempt to break that seal."

"I can feel her heart beating alongside mine, when she Materialises," Mashiro said. "It's stronger than my own, almost overwhelming sometimes. It makes me wonder where I end and she begins."

Mai blinked and looked down at the queen, stroking her fine hair in a sisterly fashion. She was sometimes reminded that for all her arrogance and bluster, that Mashiro was still very young for all the burdens she bore. "That's a rare bond," she supplied. "Most masters only feel an echo of their Otome, it's the reason they survive. I mean, look," she said, pointing with her chin. "If Mikoto had just thrown you into reinforced concrete like that, you'd be dead. Arika's just laughing."

"It hurt," Mashiro mused, "but only for a moment and it won't leave a bruise. It never does."

"Good," Midori joked, "you're bad enough when you're intact!"

"Midori!" Mashiro squawked, "god damn it, woman."

Midori grinned an unusual toothy grin and lifted her face to the light in the west. Light and dancing with mirth that was usually absent, the Leader of Aswald looked youthful and almost happy.

"Say, you two are decent people, you know," Midori huffed, leaning back on her elbows. "I mean, out of all the rulers I know you're the least untrustworthy."

Mashiro blinked. "Uh, thanks. I think."

Mai scoffed. "I lead my two sous chefs and my part time waiters, Midori."

"Yeah, yeah," Midori continued, "look, just, you know how the Sickness is. It could take me any time and I've lived with that for more than half my life. When I die, new leaders will rise in Aswald and none of the candidates are much good. Or, rather, I don't know if they'll be any good because they'll have such a different role than I had. So keep an eye out, OK? They respect you two a lot."

Mai nodded graciously and Mashiro sat up from her shoulder, turning her full attention to Midori.

"I swear I'll do my best, Boss," she said firmly, "but it doesn't matter because you'll probably outlive us all."

Mai laughed a short laugh. "Not Mikoto."

Mashiro turned back to Mai and could have sworn she saw a tear in the the corner of a grey eye.

??

"A riot is an ugly thing, and I think we just about had one," Leo whimpered, sinking into a sitting position on top of a bench in the middle of Republic Day Memorial Park. He was sporting a small bruise above one eyebrow and was covered in a fine layer of dust and cabbage leaves kept turning up in folds of his clothing.

"Stop paraphrasing ancient Earth philosophers and count your sheets," his friend and fellow signature gopher Lenks said tiredly. "I'm up to about a thousand signatures here."

"Same here," he agreed, having flipped through the sheet earlier. "I think that Haruka-sama is crazy, though."

"Oh, you'll get no argument here," she agreed grimly. "But, you've got to admire her resolve and determination."

"I guess," he said, watching Haruka tramp up to the pair.

"Well, my friends, we've got about seven thousand signatures so far. Not bad, but still quite a bit short of our goal of one hundred and twenty thousand. Now, I know we only have a few days to do this, but I'm sure you've got some good ideas up your sleeves?" she asked, hopefully. Despite the clamour of earlier, there just weren't the sheer numbers present to fill up the sheets.

"Well," Lenks began, "I was thinking, there's six popular queer clubs in Capra, right? Now, three of them are pretty small but the other three have capacities of over a thousand each. If we station people on the door, we're guaranteed signatures."

Haruka nodded her head in approval. "Very good thinking, dispatch volunteers to prepare immediately," she ordered, folding her arms. "And you?"

Leo sat up and nodded. "Well, if we're looking for places with concentrations of people, why not try near cinemas tomorrow night? It's the night most places change their program and it's always pretty busy. Other than that, near the sand port?"

"No good," Haruka said, shaking her head, "people trying to get places never pause to sign stuff. Go for the cinema plan though, I like it. But damn it, we need reinforcements here, people!"

A few other members of Capra City LBGTQ wandered closer, all waiting on orders from the famous, unstoppable Brigadier General Armitage. She folded her arms over her ample chest, the feeling that she was in over her head stronger than ever. She needed backup as well, on a more personal level.

"Right, someone call Colonel Franks in Windbloom!"

??

Natsuki and Shizuru wandered down the rocky shoreline, watching gulls wheel and screech above them. The surf boomed as it broke, one last great hurrah before it slipped up the slope of the beach to gurgle between the foamy stones. Their hands warmed each other where they were clasped between them, their shoulders occasionally knocking together as their steps fell in and out of phase with one another's. The brisk wind brought sprays of salty mist flicking over them and pulled their hair about.

"It's so wild here," Shizuru sighed, "and so beautiful," she murmured, looking out over the steel grey sea, seeing huge waves heave further out, as if waiting to pounce upon the unsuspecting shore line. The grey white sky was more resolute now, having chased away any patches of blue that had been peeking out earlier. Where it met the sea, the horizon glinted like the blade of a keen knife or the pale belly of a fish before snapping to an imposing line of dark, almost colourless distant water.

"I can't believe you never showed me all this before," she chided gently, "you've been holding out on me."

Natsuki's wind flushed cheeks reddened further. "No, not holding out. It's just whenever you came up before, it was always for something particular, like someone's wedding or a birthday. I dunno, I guess I just forgot how much there was up here."

"Including Morgan-san."

Natsuki flinched. "Well, you knew my father had an Otome, right?"

Shizuru chuckled and leaned closer to her beloved. "I never expected her to be so striking a character. Why has she never come with them to Windbloom? Or been around at the gatherings?"

"Well, those are easy questions. She can't go to Windbloom because of several outstanding warrants and she always clears out of those parties because she hates crowds. She doesn't mind the Fifth Hunt because it's mostly locals, people who know her, or of her. The others are the tourist traps."

"Outstanding warrants?"

"Oh, don't ask," Natsuki sighed, pausing and turning to Shizuru. "Let's just enjoy the fact that apart from that seal, we're the only things on this beach," she said, leaning in for a kiss, her lips chilled and feeling slightly chaffed from the sea wind.

"Seal?" Shizuru asked, an unusual note of delight tinting her voice as she pulled back. "I've only ever seen them in zoos before, where is it?"

Natsuki blinked as Shizuru whipped her head from side to side; she was being left hanging for a half ton of blubber?

"You've got to be kidding me…"

??

Arika yawned and flopped down onto a sofa in Mashiro's quarters, watching sleepily as Aoi half heartedly chided Mashiro for getting grass stains on her clothes and for letting Arika get so filthy. Mashiro was slightly quiet after her afternoon with Mai and Midori, she'd been given plenty to think about and was trying to wrap her head around it all.

"I mean it, you two are such kids underneath it all," Aoi sighed, picking up Arika's feet and pointing at her knees. "For goodness' sake, you're far too old to come in with skinned knees, Arika-chan."

Arika merely shrugged and sighed. "Mikoto's a great teacher. She's got all these brilliant moves."

Mashiro gathered her bathing materials and nodded. "It was pretty amazing, Aoi. They're getting even better every time."

Aoi grimaced. "It's still not nice to see people fighting."

"It's more like watching kittens play."

Aoi was about to point out that most kittens didn't tend to take out enormous meteors single handedly but was interrupted by a loud knocking at the door. She frowned in confusion. There wasn't anyone who should have been knocking at the queen's door this late in the evening. She strode up to it, fully prepared to berate anyone on the other side when it opened to reveal a frantic Chie.

"Chie-chan?" she asked, worry pushing other thoughts away.

"Look, I'm sorry, Aoi. I'm so sorry! I've been ordered back to Aries for the time being. I was told to meet the Colonel half an hour ago and get certified to fly back right now," Chie's expressive grey eyes were filled with sadness and regret. "All because I put an idea in that idiot's head!"

"Chie-chan," she murmured, pulling the distressed woman to her. "Shh, it's OK. Go to the Colonel and then go and do your duty," she said quietly, pulling Chie's face so that their gazes met. "It's OK. I love you."

"I love you too," Chie whispered, "and I'm sorry, for what it's worth. If they hang me, move on. Find someone to make you happy."

The utter sincerity on Chie's face was so far removed from her usual joking and teasing that Aoi paused to blink for a moment. She then threw her arms around Chie's neck and burst into gales of laughter.

"Go on, you goon," she chuckled, kissing her lightly on the lips. "And remember, Aries hasn't had the death penalty for a hundred years."

??

Natsuki was sulking on Chiaki's couch, cuddling the head (for little else of the dog could fit into her lap) of Chiaki's favourite Krugerhund, Lily (also known as Teutonic Lilian Von Shtüpp Titwillow). Shizuru was busy flicking through the little LCD display on her camera, showing Chiaki pictures of the seal they'd seen.

Natsuki scowled. The lethargic, flabby, flatulent crab sucking pinniped had cost her an afternoon of beach side canoodling, she was sure of it. All it had done was roll onto it side, fart and open its gob to yawn, showing its massive teeth before bleating at them and throwing a flipper over its eyes. Obviously the stupid thing had washed in on a high tide and was too lazy to paddle back out to find its colony. Give it a few hours and the thing would be high tailing it back home, she was certain.

But, evidently, such antics were enough to charm a city girl like Shizuru and reduce her to a cooing mess of neotony induced mental feebleness. Natsuki stared into the Lily's soulful eyes and sighed. All this and she still wasn't allowed to have a dog in Garderobe?

"So it seems you had a lovely day of it then," Chiaki commented. "I'm glad that you found Kruger County so entertaining, Shizuru," she said charmingly. Natsuki narrowed her eyes at the tall woman and scowled, sure that the knew of her little sister's plight.

"Well, it was certainly enjoyable," Shizuru commented. She was about to suggest a last little walk before it got too dark when there was a rap at Chiaki's door. An elegant eyebrow raised, she unfolded herself from the couch and went to answer it, allowing Philip to enter. The skinny young academic was clutching a bag that clinked ominously

"Oh, Natsuki, Shizuru," he said, smiling with relief and sagging into a chair. "You had a nice day at the coast?"

They assured him they had and Chiaki eyed the bag with a question written on her face. Philip smiled and took out two bottles, handing them to his sister in law. The plain glass bottles were stopped by simple wooden corks and Chiaki twisted one open, sniffing it. She recoiled slightly and blinked at Philip.

"Mein Gott!" she exclaimed, "that's the real stuff, my dear brother. Where did you get this from?"

"A colleague of mine," he said pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I know it sounds awful, but I just wanted to be somewhere where I was near the average age, you know?" smiling winsomely. "Saeko is putting the girls to bed, Hokuto sent me packing and your father is oiling his tack. I was at rather a loose end."

"Well," Chiaki said, a wide smile on her face, "this calls for something a bit more special than sitting around in my living room. Come along now, we have work to do."

??

Midori yawned and raised a dubious eyebrow at Youko.

"I don't like fasting and I like thirsting even less, old friend."

"Tough," Youko replied, lifting the sullen woman's wrist and slipping a cuff around it. "You need to be ready for tomorrow." She placed a stethoscope on the inside of Midori's elbow and pumped the collar, looking at her wrist watch for a while before releasing the pressure.

"Hmm, you're as well as I'd expect you to be, all things considered. I think you're all right to go through with the procedure tomorrow." Dark eyes lifted to meet Midori's own dubious gaze and Youko clasped her arm gently. "Are you still sure you want to, though?"

"I am," Midori said, firmly. "You and I know that if it works, it'll benefit our people."

"And if it doesn't, you could die," Youko reminded the other woman, slipping the cuff from her arm. "Don't forget that."

Midori blinked slowly and sighed. "I've been living with death for so long, Youko. It's OK. There's more to the world than my life, you know. Even if I do die, you've still got a result to build on and learn from."

Youko stood and shook her head tersely. "If we do nothing, you'll die anyway. Look, we need some rest, lie back and go to sleep."

Midori, sensing her friend's upset, wisely said nothing and leaned back into Youko's fresh, scented bed linens. When later, the director crawled in beside her the red head had rolled closer, wrapping her in strong arms.

"No matter what, I trust you. You'll do the best of anyone, Youko."

Rather than reply, Youko just rolled around and wrapped her arms around Midori's middle.

??

Several hours after dusk, Natsuki, Shizuru, Chiaki and Philip found themselves in Chiaki's sauna. The sauna was more of a garden shed beside the lake equipped with smooth wooden benches and a brazier in the middle of it but it was well used and well loved. It took quite a while to heat it to an appropriate temperature but when ready, the assembled Krugers and in laws hopped in, bringing the bottles with them. While traditional wisdom held that drinking high proof spirits in a sauna was singularly stupid, this was not going to deter the group.

They sat around the steaming rocks in the middle, Chiaki occasionally ladling water or moonshine or both onto them. In deference to Philip's wish to continue living past his wife waking the next morning, the inhabitants had draped soft towels over their more private parts. There was a small plate of salty food in front of them which they were all picking from, although Shizuru did avoid the pickled fish.

"Oh, this is heaven," Natsuki murmured, "we need one of these at Garderobe."

"Well, you're welcome to explain it to Miss Maria at the next budget meeting," Shizuru murmured.

"The crusty old cow," Natsuki complained. She filled their little glasses and raised her own.

"To Miss Maria, the crankiest old bag to even haunt Garderobe!"

??

Miss Maria sneezed as she strode down the corridor, pausing for a moment to dab at her nose with a lacy handkerchief. Shaking her head, she decided to get a hot lemon and honey drink before bed. Opening the door the the chemistry lab, she frowned at the dark and obviously empty interior. She shrugged and headed off, deciding that errant headlights had led her to believe the room lit at this late hour.

Several long minutes after her departure, well past the time it took for her bright eyes to adapt to the absence of light after slamming off the light switch after hearing a sneeze, Nao poked her head out from under the lab desk she'd hidden behind. Scowling to herself, she wondered why she was even going through this rigamarole and decided that it was simply a case of old habits dying hard. Clutching the brown jar to her chest, she let herself out of the lab and tip toed back to her rooms.

??

"A toast!" Philip proclaimed, sitting up on his seat and pressing his glasses up his nose.

"A toast!" Natsuki replied enthusiastically. A look of confusion marred her features. "To what?"

He frowned. "To, to toast! I love toast."

"To toast!" Chiaki seconded.

"To toast!" Shizuru finished. They all knocked their glasses together before knocking their liquor back and making the sounds of those who'd had all the moisture in their mouths vaporised. Philip whooped and slammed his glass down.

"My word," he said, "I am getting a bit tipsy, my friends." He smacked his lips and grinned happily. "But, I don't care! Because I'm going to be blessed by two more beautiful little babies in a couple of weeks."

"Well, once again congratulations, Pippin," Natsuki intoned. "I propose a toast; to your new babies! May they have long and happy lives, blessed as they will be from the start."

"Here, here!" Philip agreed, downing his drink. They all followed suit. "But here's to you two, too," he said, smiling widely, "the Columns of Garderobe! My dear sister Natsuki and her ever charming wife Shizuru!"

"Here, here!" Chiaki stated firmly, her usual composure slightly departed. "And here's to the hounds! May they run like the wind tomorrow!"

"Here, here!" Shizuru called, shaking her head. "Here's to Kruger County, a hospitable and lovely place to spend the best holiday so far this decade!"

"Here, here!" Natsuki cried. "And here's to saunas and moonshine, where would we be without them?"

"Well, old girl," Philip began, "bloody sober for a start!"

Chiaki refilled their glasses and they sat in silence for a few minutes. Natsuki had leaned back against Shizuru and laid her head on the other woman's shoulder.

"The hunt's going to be fantastic tomorrow," she said, smiling. "It's so fast and so exciting."

"I'm still not sure what it involves, exactly," Shizuru said with slight unease. "Is it true I have to ride a horse?"

"Of course," Chiaki said, frowning and pouting slightly. The resemblance to her little sister was astounding and earned a blink from the Column. "How else would you be able to follow the dogs?"

"It's fun," Philip interjected, filling his glass with somewhat wobbly hands. "I was terrified the first time I did it."

"You fell off your horse," Chiaki said, smiling broadly. "You fell off her going over the first jump and one of the dogs tripped over you then."

"That dog broke my wrist," he lamented. "And you all bloody left me there!" he reminded her, somewhat indignant now.

"Oh, don't be such a big girl's blouse. The medics got you eventually, didn't they?"

Shizuru turned to the bleary woman humming on her shoulder and poked her in the side of the head.

"If you leave me, you may as well move in with Miss Maria."

Natsuki blinked, she'd been paying more attention to the ends of Shizuru's hair than the conversation and was confused.

"Miss Maria?"

??

Haruka collapsed into her bed hours later than she would have wanted to, sprawling face down and groaning into her pillow. This did, of course, rouse her bed mate.

"Haruka-chan," Yukino asked, rolling closer to her beloved and half onto her back. "I missed you all day. Where were you?"

"At a stupid thing doing stupid stuff with stupid people," Haruka replied, too tired and cranky to even try and affect cheerfulness. Yukino smiled gently and kissed the back of her Otome's neck, smiling fondly into the frazzled blonde hair.

"Well, get some sleep then, darling."

Haruka made a noise of assent and sighed hugely before sinking into a deep sleep. Yukino, raised and lowered by Haruka's noisy breathing, was asleep moments later.

??

Mashiro stretched and smiled a good night to Aoi, watching her bustle out. After Chie's emotional display, the maid had spent the evening giggling to herself before Mashiro felt the need to dismiss her in order to compose herself.

"Do you think it's serious?" Arika asked, worried despite herself. "I know Aoi-san was laughing, but what if it's serious?"

"Well, if it is, we'll sort it out. But for now, it's time to sleep. Good night, Arika." After Aoi and Chie's display, Mashiro had sent Arika to the palace kitchen and they'd spent a couple of hours curled on the sofa dividing their attention between the young woman, an old movie and eating a tub of ice cream.

Arika nodded and yawned, casually dropping an arm around Mashiro's shoulders and hugging her briefly. The queen responded by wrapping her arms around Arika's waist and holding her tightly, letting the proximity of one she cared for soothe her. As much as she was loath to admit it, her conversation with Mai and Midori earlier had left her unsettled. If life was so short and so delicate, was she better off taking any quick bit of happiness she could and damn the consequences? She desperately wanted to spend the night wrapped in Arika's arms and sprawled over the young woman but would it trigger more of the same angst as before? Was there no way to move past it? She wanted nothing more than to stay close to her and forget about the world outside.

Instead, she lifted her face and kissed her Otome on the cheek.

"Sleep tight, Arika."

Arika nodded, pausing a moment with an unreadable expression on her face before dropping a quick kiss to Mashiro's forehead and releasing her.

"Sweet dreams, Mashiro-chan."

??

"Banzai!" Chiaki roared, leaping as high as she could before grabbing her knees and tucking into a cannon ball, meeting the reflection of the silver moon in the dark water. She dropped like a stone into the still, cold waters of Lake Meerlagosee and resurfaced seconds later to watch Philip throw himself in too, diving in with practiced ease. Shizuru followed, laughing all the way, and gasping when she resurfaced.

Natsuki brought up the rear, lunging forward to execute the perfect swan dive. Sadly, she stumbled at the last minute and managed to execute a spectacular belly flop, slapping onto the suddenly brick hard surface of the water with a terribly loud smack. She sank and bobbed to the surface a moment later, limbs spread eagle and unmoving.

"Oh my," Philip said, poking the gurgling figure's shoulder with a cautious finger. "That looked painful."

"Ara, maybe skinny dipping wasn't such a good idea after all."

??


	5. Aerial attack

I make no claim to _Mai HiME_ or _Otome_ and I'm certainly not making any money out of this endeavor. I am, however, having a lot of fun.

Anyway, here we are with another installment of Relocation. If you're still following this, I hope you're enjoying it! Thanks once again to all those who took the time to leave a review, much appreciated as always. Thanks especially to Azfixiation, my heart is an icebox, devil-urd, koalarap, pri815, Vanilla Slash, KrazyJJ and nolens volens.

To comment on some of your comments;  
I agree, skinny dipping is inherently funny. Like the word **trundle**.  
Thank you but no thanks to the marriage proposal. I'm saving myself for when Ellen Page comes out.  
The daftness continues in this chapter and shows no signs of stopping for a another few thousand words. Aye, you poor things. I'm sorry to subject you to my personal brand of comedy. Seriously. There's a plot here, somewhere.

Onwards!

Gorms

* * *

"Right, Hallard," Haruka intoned solemnly at the crack of dawn the next morning, "you can guess why you're here, can't you?"

"To be hanged for treason, presumably, ma'am," Chie replied, staring resolutely ahead. Whatever horror was before her, she'd face it with as much dignity as she could muster. "Or, on a more optimistic level, to be incarcerated for inciting a riot."

Haruka blinked. "You need to get more sleep, Hallard," she said seriously, "you seem addled and incoherent."

Chie straightened, suddenly cautiously optimistic. "Referring to your earlier question, I cannot guess why I'm here, Brigadier General."

"Well," Haruka began, bringing Chie to a detailed map of Capra City that was laid flat on a large table. "To begin with, what you're hearing is so secret, that it's been given a new sensitive information designation beyond that of _Above Top Secret_."

"It has?"

"Yes. It's been rated _Haruka Is Not Above Breaking Your Legs Should Yukino Ever Find Out-Secret_. The designation also has the same rating, by the way. You may refer to it as _Above, Over and Beyond Top Secret_."

"Yes, ma'am." So much for optimism.

Haruka nodded. "Of course, as one of my helpers pointed out, we're undertaking this as civilians. So for the next two and a half days, you're on sanctioned leave and you're being considered a helper though not member of the Capra City LBGTQ."

Chie blinked. "Undertaking what, exactly?" she asked with a feeling of dread swelling within her.

Haruka rolled her expressive eyes. "Why, collecting signatures, you ginny."

"Ninny, I think."

"Yes, you are," Haruka agreed, clasping her hands behind her back. "Now, go and change into civvies and meet me back here in ten minutes. We need to plan our attack strategy when our allies arrive, she said, gesturing to the map. Little rainbow flags were stuck into the bayonets of tin soldiers scattered about strategic locations in the city, a little brigade on stand-by beside the board.

"Now, hurry up! This was your brilliant idea and you're bloody well going to help me out."

* * *

"Hold still, Midori," Youko Helene hissed to the fearsome leader of Aswald, running a firm hand up the inside of her thigh, inspecting the pale skin.

"Yeah, you try being calm when there's a mad scientist with a needle between _your_ legs."

"At least I'm not a gynaecologist," Youko said with a wry smile, deftly puncturing the skin with a large bore needle. Midori hissed in discomfort and Youko looked up at her with concern.

"I'm fine," Midori said, turning her head to place her cheek on the bed beneath her. "Just uncomfortable."

"No pain?" Youko asked quietly. "Has the local anaesthetic kicked in properly?"

"I guess. There's no pain, just feels weird."

With practiced skill, Youko threaded a hollow tube into her leg, watching Midori's heart and respiration rates on a small monitor all the while. A long time passed before she spoke again. "Ready. You'll need to activate your REM before the stent goes in, just to make sure the nanomachines respond to it."

"Let's hope this doesn't kill me," Midori said with a small grin. Youko smiled sadly and lifted the delivery catheter in steady hands, waiting for the glow that signalled the REM reaction.

"It won't. And when it works, it'll provide many of our people with a much better chance of surviving until we can completely cure them," Youko said slowly, watching Midori's face carefully. Sweat beaded on her brow and her eyes were unfocused as Garderobe's resident doctor practiced her art. Her dark eyes flicked to an overhead monitor where a ghostly heart, outlined in blue and white beat strongly, an eerie green network of veins wrapped around it. A dark shape moved in the tangled mass of vessels and expanded slightly before withdrawing. "Just a moment, just a second," she said in a low voice, drawing the catheter and delivery tube out of her friend's leg before applying a strong skin adhesive.

Just as she returned to Midori after dumping the bloody remains of her efforts, she heard the distinctive crack of the REM shattering. Moving with careful, precise motions, she lifted the broken shards and replaced the green stone, cradling Midori's hand to her chest as she did so.

The leader of Aswald turned to face her, strain evident in every line of her skin and Youko was astounded at how old the other woman looked. No longer seventeen, she seemed aged and wearied. She moved her chair closer and stroked fiery hair out of Midori's eyes, fingers lingering on her sweaty brow.

"I wish you'd let me put you under for this kind of thing," she said.

"Not when there was a chance that the REM would see that thing as an enemy the next time it gets activated. You have my permission to knock everyone else out, though. That was horrible."

Youko chuckled and leaned forward, kissing Midori on the forehead. "Ah, my brave desert soldier."

Midori blinked with wonder and might have blushed, had most of her blood not been slightly heavier than normal. "I didn't think you'd remember that."

"Well, I had my two desert soldiers and you both had your team medic, right?"

"Right," Midori agreed, closing her eyes against the memories they were stirring. Emotion welled in her for the first time in a long while and felt akin to a punch to the gut. Reeling slightly, she realised it had affected her physically too. There was no way simple emotion could be that strong, she knew. "I feel nauseous, is that normal?"

"It is," Youko said apologetically. She lifted a needle and slid it into the delivery tube in the back of Midori's hand, injecting a light sedative. She was relieved beyond telling that the procedure had worked and didn't release Midori's hand after administering the shot. "I'll stay with you until you feel better, all right?"

"Thank you, Youko."

* * *

Natsuki cracked an eye opened and yawned widely before snuggling back into the bed and her lover's back, running her lips over the warm skin. She wondered, for a brief moment, why Shizuru tasted like vodka and algae rather than Shizuru before the evening before came flooding back in a torrent of humiliating memories. She groaned and wrapped her arm around Shizuru's middle, her hand splayed on her stomach. At least the belly flop had sobered her up, she thought. Also, the quart of lake water she'd gulped down by accident in the immediate aftermath probably helped.

"Shit," she mumbled, pouting to herself. Damn Philip and his booze, the man was in for a world of pain. Him and his moonshine. And his damn toast.

Shizuru made a small sound of pain and Natsuki sat up, frowning. Making a guess, she hopped out of bed and grabbed a large jug of water and a couple of glasses. As an after thought, she lifted some painkillers from Shizuru's bag, settling into a comfortable recline on the bed and began petting her lover's hair.

She felt woozy and a bit bleary, she admitted, but knew a shower and a large fried breakfast would solve all that. Shizuru, on the other hand, seemed to be in need of some proper care.

An eye cracked open, followed by the other. Both glared at Natsuki with real annoyance and something approaching anger. The Gakuenchou merely lifted one of the glasses of water and offered it to Shizuru, watching her down it before rolling over and lying on top of Natsuki, burying her face in her neck.

Natsuki just lay and ran her fingernails up and down the long planes of Shizuru's back, gently scratching the soft skin under her hand. After a few minutes, the hung over Column threw one leg over both of Natsuki's, unknowingly earning a small smile. The dark haired woman moved her hand onto Shizuru's neck and continued tracing idle patterns, feeling her wife relax on top of her. By the time she'd ventured to the spot behind her ears, both were almost purring with contentment.

"You let me drink too much last night," Shizuru complained. "Bad Natsuki."

"I hardly poured it down your throat," Natsuki retorted, softening the comment by nuzzling Shizuru's head and dropping light kisses over her forehead. "What can I do to make you feel better?"

"More water, to begin with. Then maybe a shower."

Natsuki took her chin in one hand, lifting her face to where she could see it properly and let out a delighted chuckle at seeing her beloved look so adorably bleary-eyed and pathetic. "Oh, you look awful. Here, have a drink and go back to sleep for a couple of hours. It's only seven."

"Seven?" Shizuru gasped between undignified mouthfuls of water. "Why am I awake?

"Well, you're dehydrated. You need to drink or else the real hangover will be worse."

Shizuru groaned and sank beneath the covers. Natsuki followed her and dropped a kiss to her lips, not caring about the strong taste of alcohol or the less than passionate response. When she lowered herself into the warm nest of blankets, Shizuru clung to her as if she were an anchor in a storm and once again the Gakuenchou felt privileged to be privy to these secret moments.

* * *

Irina Woods hummed to herself as she ran a quick diagnostic on Garderobe's internal network, fixing bugs and generally making things run as smoothly as she could manage. The young woman was content in the quiet of her little room, happy to be as far away from the chaos of a Nao run institution as she could be. Fans purred and hard drives spat out creaking clicks every now and again; alerts bleeped and messages jingled.

Soft music filled the room and Irina printed out a log of network traffic over the previous twenty four hours. All seemed relatively normal until she noted that a single user had transferred almost the entire combined network traffic of all others in the period. Frowning, she called up a terminal and began to dig.

* * *

"So," Leo frowned, "you're the one that out this crazy idea in her head, huh?"

Chie scowled at the young man. "She put the idea in her own damn head, trust me."

Chie hefted the sack of sheets she'd been given and looked around the room, watching various members of the Capra LBGTQ mill around with tea and coffee. One young woman was sitting counting completed sheets and signatures, a tally on a board above her reading 27,573.

"Good morning," Haruka boomed as she strode into the room, nodding at everyone assembled. "It's good to see everyone up and about. Once again, I'd like to thank you all for your help before reminding you that we still have a long, long way to go," she said, dramatically snapping a riding crop onto the running count board.

"So, we might be slightly under target but we won't let that disturb us or make us lose sight of the bigger picture here!" she said, bringing the riding crop to the table and moving several of the little tin soldiers to their present location.

"Gather round, we need to plan today's stratigraphy!"

"Strategy, Haruka-sama."

"Exactly!"

* * *

Chiaki yawned over the pan of bacon she was frying, sipping her strong coffee and willing herself to wake up. She'd heard noise from upstairs earlier and presumed that Shizuru and Natsuki were both awake and in need of lard-filled breakfasts. She cracked a few eggs into the pan and threw the shells into the bin, watching them solidify and sizzle. She snagged a piece of tried tomato off the pan and chewed it with relish.

"Morning, Aki," Natsuki called, bounding down the stairs as if she were a child. Her white blouse and tailed morning coat held over one arm, two pairs of boots in the other hand. "Do you have some shoe polish?"

"Under the sink," she replied, grinning, "how's the head?"

Natsuki rooted around for the polish and brushes, humming to herself. "Fine, not bad at all. Shizuru was suffering earlier, though."

"Oh, she was?" Chiaki mused, smirking to herself. "Better now?"

"Of course," Natsuki said, brightly.

"I knew that all that noise had to be for something," she said, earning a scathing look. "Although, I would have thought you'd be too tender from that spectacular belly flop to even consider such activity."

Natsuki glared at her big sister, blushing like the tomatoes frying for a short while before standing with her boots and the polish. "Try and annoy me with with your daft teasing Aki, I dare you! It isn't going to work today."

"Ara," Shizuru said, emerging with her hair in a neat bun, "that does sound like a good challenge."

"Do you want me to polish your boots or would you rather do it yourself?" Natsuki asked, sticking her tongue out childishly. Shizuru sighed and dropped a kiss to the top of her head before moving to help Chiaki with breakfast.

Soon, the three were seated at the sturdy table, several Krugerhunds looking on with watery, soulful, hungry eyes. All were summarily ignored as it was well known that anyone caught feeding a dog from the Kruger table would be severely punished. In their youth, this had generally involved elder Krugers swapping the girls' food for the dogs' food. Repeat offences had been rare.

"So, are you ready Shizuru?" Chiaki asked politely.

"I suppose so," she said, smiling brightly. "Although I don't know how much good I'm going to be, to be honest. I'm not very comfortable with horses."

"You'll be fine," the elder Kruger assured her, while Natsuki nodded vigourously around a mouthful of bacon. "Hardly anyone falls off, Philip's just a bit useless when it comes to the great outdoors."

A while later, and after many reassurance, Shizuru was feeling slightly less nervous. Natsuki was standing in front of her, fixing her scarf and waistcoat. A small, fond smile graced her lips as she watched her lover fuss over her clothes, a rare reversal of roles.

"Right, you look beautiful," Natsuki said, lifting bright, happy eyes. "I never thought I'd see you in hunting garb, you know."

"You just want to see her in jodhpurs, you big lech," Chiaki mumbled, fixing her cuffs.

Natsuki made a positively heroic effort to not let her gaze fall to Shizuru's back side as the other woman pulled her tall boots on. Huffing, she pulled her own coat on, buttoning her gloves before turning to Shizuru. Thankfully, she was standing upright by then.

"Well, we'd better get a move on," she chirped. Chiaki retreated to fetch the Krugerhunds' leads while Shizuru stepped forward, laying her hands on Natsuki's lapels.

"Don't think, darling," she said, letting her eyes drift shut as her mouth ghosted over Natsuki's, "that I didn't catch you looking."

"Hmm," Natsuki smiled lazily back, "I won't deny it, then. I won't apologise for it either, though." She grinned and ran her hand over the top of the garment that had started the discussion and sighed happily, leaning in to kiss her wife.

"Ehem," Chiaki coughed none too subtly, "if you two start that, we'll miss the bloody hunt."

* * *

Nao shook hands with Mai and Mikoto in a peaceful corner of Garderobe's gardens, smiling warmly at the pair.

"It was great having you guys over," she said, genuinely meaning her words. Mai and Mikoto were relaxed, easy going people and having them around made the general madness of Garderobe that bit more tolerable.

Mai nodded and reached out to embrace her warmly. "Thank you for the hospitality. It was good to see everyone again. Give our love to Natsuki and Shizuru when they get back."

"Yeah," Mikoto agreed, lifting her staff and dropping it horizontally onto her shoulders, stretching for a moment. "Tell them next time they want a vacation to come visit us."

"Will do." Nao sighed and folded her arms, casting her eyes around for unwanted guest listeners. "Listen, once I get word on whether I can show Donnell the notes or not I'll let you know. These really could blow the lid open on the Harmonium. If not, I'll bet you a hot dinner that we just end up sending someone else through."

Mikoto grimaced. "That machine's bad news. It was never meant to be used by us, you know."

Nao nodded solemnly. "Who knows what kind of damage Nagi did by forcing Nina to use it."

"How is Nina?" Mai asked, worry apparent in her clear eyes. "She went back to Artai?"

Nao sighed and lowered her eyes, sadness clouding her features. "She has the potential, even now, to be one of the greatest Otome to ever exist. And her and Arika are still both contracted to Mashiro, you know. The pair of them together are unstoppable."

"The three of them," Mai corrected, quietly. "I can see why she'd be worried, though. People probably wouldn't like to see her in possession of a GEM again."

"But it makes it hard for Mashiro," Mikoto pointed out. "There's lots of stuff out there that only a member of the Royal Family can use. I mean, it'd be easy for people to figure out she isn't one of them."

Nao nodded grimly. "All she's worked for could be destroyed." She sighed expressively and folded her arms. "No one ever told me being an Otome would involve so much damn diplomatic work, you know."

Mai smiled and chuckled at the younger woman. "A little birdie told me you were all set to find a rich man to marry and retire, as soon as you graduated."

Mikoto wrinkled her nose. "Why'd you want to do that?"

Nao shrugged and smiled a sly smile, "money."

"Ick," the Nekogami replied, bending to one side, staff still balanced on her shoulders. "Well, good luck with that, anyway."

"Come on, Mikoto," Mai said, tugging her upright. "We need to get home and make sure the gang haven't burnt down the store."

"Don't be silly, Mai," Mikoto said, kissing her GEM gently, stealing a second quick kiss as she pulled back.

"Hey, I wouldn't call her silly," Nao reasonably pointed out as they watched Mai Materialise, "if the store has burnt down, you won't be getting any ramen today."

As the light around her faded and Mai opened her eyes, she found her shoulders already supporting the weight of her mate. Bright yellow eyes gleamed down at her with unusual intensity and purpose.

"Quick, Mai, we need to get back to the ramen!"

Mai turned suspicious eyes to a smiling Nao.

"Just what have you been telling her?

* * *

"So, we're ready to begin the hunt then!" Count Kruger boomed, smoothing down his dark blue morning coat and reaching for the reigns of his hunter. An enthusiastic roar went up around him and he grinned broadly.

"Fantastic! Ready the quarry!" His hunter pawed the ground, straining at the bit and hopping with excitement. The count merely laughed and reigned him in. "Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed guests and welcome neighbours. It is my proud duty to welcome you all to this, the Fifth Hunt. Now, without further ado, may I declare this hunt open! Release the quarry!"

"Release the quarry!" a tall man with an impressive beard called before blowing on a bugle.

"Release the quarry!" another man called, roaring into the murky depths of the stables. The crowd began cheering then, calling for the prey to be turned loose and clapping. Hounds bayed and horses snorted, infected by the excitement. When it all reached a fever pitch, a whistle blew.

Shizuru blinked with surprise as a door slammed open and a gangly young man with a hemp sack ran out of it, dragging the bag after him. The Krugerhunds barked with excitement and joy, prancing around on tender hooks, straining at their heavy leather leads. A pack of ten or so smaller Senkebluthunds bayed as well, skipping around their trainers' legs, slobber flying every which way.

"Explain it to me again, Natsuki," the second Column asked, wobbling on her horse. Natsuki reached out, never taking her eyes off the progress of the quarry, and grabbed her saddle horn. Garderobe's Gakuenchou led her own mount in a neat side step, drawing close enough to Shizuru that their legs were touching. Keeping a firm hold on Shizuru's saddle she turned to face her, favouring her with a brilliant smile.

"Well, one of the stable boys has just gone out with the scent, he'll have a head start of half an hour to get to the first finish line," she explained, pausing to adjust Shizuru's collar and giving her tack a quick once over (for the seventeenth time). "And the first Senkebluthund over the line wins, as does the first mounted rider and the first runner. Once we're there, the second team starts Running the Game, which means they'll attach a false wolf to a track and send it off. The dummy has a head start of a kilometre and runs for another two. The first Krugerhund to get him wins."

Shizuru blinked and looked between Natsuki and the packs of dogs.

"So, there isn't actually an animal being chased, then?"

"Oh, of course not!" Natsuki laughed. "Imagine, hunting a real animal!"

Shizuru raised her hand to her forehead and frowned at her lover. "So, you don't actually chase after anything more interesting than a stable boy and a model of a wolf?"

"Exactly."

"And you breed dogs larger than most Corals to achieve this?" Shizuru asked, wondering how she'd managed to avoid this conversation before. Frankly, in her opinion, the entire sport sounded ridiculous.

"Hell no," Natsuki scoffed, "they're bred big to hunt wolves!"

Shizuru frowned, trying to remember her history lessons. "Natsuki, have there ever been wolves on Eorl?"

"No, of course not," Natsuki replied, eyes still hopping all over the crowd. "Such a creature would have been far too difficult to bring from Earth and besides, they wouldn't have any prey here."

Shizuru felt a head ache building. "Natsuki, are you telling me that this entire endeavour is replicating a hunt for an animal that never even existed on this planet?"

"Well, yes," Natsuki said, frowning. Some of Shizuru's disbelief seemed to penetrate. "I mean, we could hunt Ystercurs, but they're terribly dangerous. It makes a lot more sense to do it this way."

Shizuru laughed a small laugh and, risking to lift her hand from her saddle horn, gripped Natsuki's hand. "My, you really are so silly sometimes, Natsuki."

Natsuki, already aware of the absurdity of the hunt but too enamoured with the thrill of pounding over turf and the roar of the hounds to be bothered by it, merely kissed her wife on the cheek and grinned.

"I may be silly, but you married me."

* * *

"So this is how low Aries has fallen, is it?" an imperious voice cackled, a cruel twist of laughter running through the question. "To give formal recognition to deviants and perverts?"

Haruka blinked and turned to face the source of the disturbance. Baffled volunteers turned along with her, as well as members of the public. Standing several metres behind her, Tomoe Marguerite smirked at her with her arms folded over her chest.

"You again!" she called, handing her clipboard to Leo. "Damn it, weren't you deported?"

"Me? Why, what ever did I do wrong?" she asked, folding a hand over her chest coyly. "Is that the official position Aries takes? To deport those who oppose her leaders in democratic elections?"

"No, but we take a hard line for aiding and abetting that freak Nagi," Haruka continued, frowning at the young woman. She felt a slight headache building and wondered if drop kicking the annoying cow into a low orbit would get her into much trouble.

"Ah, well you know I was only following orders, just like all the other Valkyries. They didn't get deported."

"Well, yeah, true," Haruka conceded, "but you actually enjoyed it. You weren't exactly under any duress."

"Shut it," Tomoe growled, shifting her position and planting her hands on her hips. "I'm here as a representative of Citizens Reacting Against Perversion! We demand that you cease this terrible and immoral crusade."

"What terrible and immortal crusade?" Haruka asked, genuinely puzzled. "I'm not crusading. If I was, I'd have taken the Suzushiro."

"Silence! Is it not true that you're gathering popular support for the erosion of family values and normalisation of sexual vice?" she demanded, several of the people following her muttering their agreement.

"Um," Haruka frowned more deeply, more and more confused by the second. "No. And I don't know where you got that crazy idea from." She looked at the angry young woman and held her chin in her hand. "Perhaps you've mistaken us for something else."

"Are you or are you not trying to bring about the end of decent society with the introduction of gay marriage?!" she roared, getting more and more frustrated.

"No," Haruka said calmly, rolling her eyes. "Don't be daft. We're bringing about a constitutional amendment that doesn't limit marriage to an arrangement between a man and a woman." Had she been ten years younger, she would have given into the temptation to add a sardonic 'duh' to the end of the sentence.

"Thus allowing people of the same sex to marry?" Tomoe demanded.

"Well, yeah," Haruka said slowly, glancing around, wondering what was going on. "I mean, it was pretty crazy to have something _limiting_ people's rights in the constitution. Silly, really."

"A product of older times," Leo shrugged, "it was worded that way to protect women at a time when other countries were pretty sexist."

"Besides," Lenks piped, "all the actual legislation dealing with marriage and civil unions doesn't prevent people of the same sex from hooking up. It's more a symbolic thing we're doing here."

"Enough!" Tomoe fumed, "you're seeking to undermine the entire institution of marriage! To destroy it and therefore normal society!"

"But more people will be allowed to get married," Haruka frowned, "and the more the merrier, when it comes to institutions, right? If more people _can_ get married, more _will_ get married."

There was a murmur of assent through the crowd causing Tomoe to scowl and raise a fist. "This wouldn't even be up for consideration if I'd won the election, you know!"

"Wow, it's a good thing she didn't get in, isn't it?" a young man murmured in the crowd.

"She's nuts," a woman beside him agreed. "I mean, I don't understand her argument. She's just a raving lunatic. Paranoid, too."

"What about family life, eh?" Tomoe demanded. "If you let this come about, what about any children involved?"

"Why are you bringing children into a discussion of same sex union?" Leo asked. "Surely we're the last people you should be worrying about there."

"Yeah, I mean, my girlfriend _can't_ get me pregnant," one woman piped up. "Legislating for equality in partnerships doesn't mean she's suddenly going to become capable of knocking me up."

"She has a point," Haruka pointed out, "this is a ridiculous discussion. Go home, Tomoe."

"You're just a blow hard, Armitage," a man in the crowd called, "you're dumber than a sack of cement and twice as thick headed! You can't keep bullying us like this while your little weasel of a girlfriend runs immoral and disgusting pieces of legislation through!"

Haruka froze and turned to the man, eyes narrowing dangerously. "What did you just call Yukino?"

"Haruka!" Leo piped, grabbing one arm as he felt a cold pall settle over the crowd, "don't, he isn't worth it."

"Yeah," Lenks agreed, "you're a champion of justice and democracy; not a thug! Don't stoop to violence."

Tomoe laughed. "Oh, don't use big words, my friend," she said, turning to her crowd. "That idiot won't understand them. I mean, look at her. A big pair of airbags out the front and air between the ears." The majority of people on the street, astounded by the abuse being hurled at their heroine, were rendered speechless. Those closest to Haruka had the impression they were holding down the safety lever of a live grenade that had just had its pin taken out.

Tomoe, on the other hand, took advantage of the silence. "I mean, when you think about it, the entire concept of Otome is bound to lead to perversion, isn't it? If the Otome were allowed to, they'd all be with men anyway. Instead, good, decent people like us have to suffer watching them act out these little farcical relationships. And now they have the guts to ask for equal recognition? Please."

"Well, I'm not an Otome and I don't want to be with a man," the woman from earlier piped, "I've got nothing against them, but I'm not attracted to them."

"Ah, I see," Tomoe said, turning to her group, "_can't_ get a man, then?"

"I don't _want _one!"

Tomoe smiled, though it seemed more a snarl, "just you keep telling yourself that. What's wrong with all of you that you can't just be normal? What do your families think?"

Haruka blinked in confusion, hurt and bewilderment. How could someone stand and spew such hatred? Such vitriol? Haruka Armitage was hard headed, stubborn and impulsive but she was not a violent or cruel person. She was driven by a desire to do the right thing and hated to be confronted with twisted words that made her actions seem foolish. Yukino was generally on hand to untangle these words and set her on her path again and she felt a guilty desire to have her lover on hand.

How could it be wrong? What she shared with Yukino? What Leo shared with his lover, Brian? How could anyone stand on the streets and tell them these things?

How could someone hold onto such hatred?

"Tomoe-kun," a smooth voice called, cutting through the expectant, rarefied air of the busy street. "Still up to your old tricks," Chie Hallard called out, graceful in jeans and a button down shirt. "Why don't you go home and stop bothering these people."

"Chie-sama," Tomoe simpered, "I wondered if you were going to show up."

Chie walked towards her old room attendant, her dark eyes cold and hard. "I find this a shocking display of hypocrisy, even for you," she said evenly.

"Ah, Chie-sama, be careful of what you say," Tomoe smirked, a grin on her face. "You don't want to get anyone in trouble."

A terrible flash of anger twisted through Chie and she balled her hands into fists at her side. Even without her Robe, she'd be able to take Tomoe, to finally punish her for what she'd done in the past. For the hurt and wounds she'd inflicted on so many hearts. "Get out of here now," she growled, "or else I'm going to have you arrested for incitement of hatred."

Tomoe stepped closer, watching with fascination the ferocious rage on the normally easy going woman's face. Something like desire snapped through her and she grinned widely. "You can't do that, Chie-sama," she said, her voice low in the middle of the street. Both groups had started to whisper amongst themselves, wondering who the new comer was and what was going on. It didn't take a genius to realise that things were a step away from degenerating into a riot.

"Are you still fucking the maid?" she asked with a coy smile. She tilted her head to one side at the soft growl coming from the Major. "Oh, so that rumour was true? I never thought I'd see you settle down with just one whore, Chie-sama. Good for you, I'll bet she's good at taking orders."

Chie tried to calm herself, resisted the temptation to wrap her hands around the throat of the woman before her and have done with it. She shook as she tried to still herself, knowing she was being goaded into reacting, knowing that she couldn't lift a finger.

"Listen!" Haruka bellowed, shrugging Leo and Lenks off with ease, worry lacing her expression. "Everyone calm down," she shouted. She walked up to Chie and placed an inhumanly strong hand on her shoulder, pulling her away from Tomoe. Something in her had toughened at the thought of Yukino and the inevitable disappointment she'd sport if this did get out of hand. Time for her to clean up this mess.

"You people," she said, pointing to the gang behind Tomoe, "have all got serious issues. You don't like the idea of two women together? Big deal! I don't _get_ the idea of a man and a woman together! I don't see the attraction and I can't for the live of me begin to puzzle out the sex bit but who cares? You go on with your thing and I'll go on with mine. Live and let live, you bunch of losers!"

She whirled to her own camp. "And as for you all! What are you letting these idiots get to you for? Anyone that actually spends time campaigning against love and unity is obviously pretty pathetic. You should pity these fools, not let them make you feel bad!"

"Yeah!" someone in the crowd piped up. "We're not here to argue, we're here to help people and make a difference!"

"Don't listen to her!" Tomoe shrieked, "she's the enemy here!"

Haruka rolled her eyes and picked Tomoe up by the collar, scowling at her. "You know that you need a permit for a political demonstration that obstructs public thoroughfares, right? If you want to protest, do it where you aren't blocking traffic." She turned to the crowd,Tomoe squirming in her grip. "Look, you guys obviously have problems. I mean, you actually listened to her, for one thing. I advise you to all go home and have some tea and a bit of a think about why you feel the need to incite hate on the streets."

She tossed Tomoe to the group, wincing as she tumbled and fell after no one stepped forward to catch her.

"And another thing, are you all completely stupid?" she asked. "There's about fifty of you on this side protesting and about four hundred signing the sheets. Seriously, you're out numbered."

* * *

Natsuki flew over the hard ground, her hunter snorting as he cleared minor obstacles and thumped into the ground on the other side. She urged him on and saw Chiaki and her father just ahead of her, several of the locals clustered between them. Bent low over the horse's neck, standing in her stirrups, she urged him on.

Whooping with joy as he outpaced several other horses, she found herself neck and neck with Chiaki, her taller sister as intent on victory as she was. Senkebluthunds leapt through undergrowth in front of them, baying and bloodthirsty at the prospect of warm meat at the end of the trail. The Krugerhunds were silent in the chase, massive heads lowered with fierce purpose and intense concentration.

"Surprised to see you here," Chiaki shouted, catching sight of Natsuki's familiar mount. "You didn't Materialise and carry the horse here, did you?"

"'Course not," she laughed, "what did you do," she riled, "stick a pepper up your boy's arse?"

"Unlikely," she called, swinging the horse to one side to avoid a low branch. "After looking at your mug all week, I've had enough of horse's arses, to be honest!"

"Bitch," Natsuki called without malice. "Come on, old woman, race you to the finish line!"

Chiaki laughed and urged her horse forward, watching the immense muscles of his shoulders and neck flex with each stride. There came a point, during every race of this kind, when common sense and prudence had to be kicked out the door. She sensed this point was close and whooped with delight as her mount strode ahead, leaving Natsuki and her stallion behind.

Scowling, Natsuki leaned forward and sought to close the distance between them, watching turf fly up from the ground as the pair sped ahead.

"Come on, lad, get a move on!" she hissed. Somehow, her horse understood her urgency and pushed himself even further, his long stride eating the distance between them, closing it and pushing ahead over a ditch and swinging around a corner. Natsuki was filled with delight as she realised she was one more hedge and then a straight sprint from the finish line. There was no way Chiaki would catch her now!

Gripping the reigns as tightly as she could, they cleared the hedge and thumped into the soft turf, preparing for a last sprint to the finish line.

At this point, several things happened at once. The Krugerhunds exploded through the hedge and, with the end of the line in site, let loose with loud, full throated howls. The Senkebluthunds responded in kind and the noise shook the landscape around them, swelling excitement and joy in the pair of Kruger sisters' chest.

Sadly, it inspired a much more terrified brand of excitement in a flock of pigeons feeding in an adjacent field. They took to clumsy flight, spilling onto the course and providing a dramatic back drop to the sight of the two elegant riders surrounded by massive hounds crossing the finish line.

Or, rather, they would have provided a dramatic backdrop if one hadn't collided with the side of Natsuki's head.

* * *

Irina sat back in her chair, blinking in shock at the line of text before her. She'd checked and rechecked the code time and time again, trying to find a solution other than the blatantly obvious one staring her in the face.

According to this, someone with high level access to the Garderobe security system was routing a live feed from several cameras in the school to a non-Garderobe machine. Additional data had revealed that at least two of these cameras were located in communal shower rooms.

What dastardly, nefarious pervert would besmirch the holy institution of Garderobe by transmitting dodgy video footage of her students to a third party?

Her face paled, knowing that there was only one likely candidate.

"Damn it Nao," she muttered, revoking all privileges and booting the suspect cameras off the network. "Just wait until Kruger hears about this!"

* * *

"I honestly can't believe you hit a pigeon, Natsuki," her father crooned, cradling his woozy child in the crook of one giant elbow. "Silly girl."

"Indeed," Chiaki agreed, watching her little sister groan. She couldn't hide the feeling of triumph at having won, however. "My, is her nose broken?"

"Seems like it is, I'm afraid," he muttered. "Someone hand me a jot of brandy!"

At least a dozen hip flasks were presented and the count took the largest, spilling a healthy portion down his daughter's throat. She spluttered and coughed, blood and booze vapourising in an unsightly cloud.

"Oh damn," she groaned nasally, "you're finally killing me. I knew it!"

"Natsuki!" Kruger called, "come along now, pull yourself together, it was only a little pigeon." He nodded to a small, forlorn heap of feathers on the ground. "And it came out a lot worse than you did, m'girl."

"Pigeon?" she repeated, blinking around. Chiaki offered her a hand and tugged her little sister to her feet, peering at her battered face.

"My, you'll have a black eye too. Better get home and get some ice on it."

"But the hounds?"

"You're in no state to watch the hounds, my dear, you need to get that seen to. It's a nasty break," Kruger interjected gently. "Come along now, dear. Back up on Strider."

The horse in question shook his head, seeming contrite about the accident. A nearby stable boy petted his neck, comforting the giant beast.

"There's no way in hell I'm missing the hounds," she snapped, staggering slightly away, feeling her nose shifting as she felt it. She sighed. "Damn it, not again."

With a pained shout, she jerked her nose back into place, fresh blood gouting over her hands. Cursing and fuming, she narrowed her eyes.

"Materialise!" she shouted, though muffled by her hands. Shocked onlookers took in the strange sight of the Ice Silver Crystal muttering, swearing and flicking blood off her hands. "Has anyone got a tissue?"

Chiaki handed her a tissue and watched in morbid fascination as her sister mopped the excess blood from beneath her nose, waiting for a few moments for the flow to stop completely. Fascinated, she handed her sister her own hip flask and watched her sup a goodly amount.

"Natsuki, does that help?"

"Of course it does," she said, wincing at the strength of the liquor. "Bit rough, though."

"No, I mean, the Robe?"

"Oh, well, yeah. I mean, we're a lot tougher then Materialised. If I stay like this for a few minutes, I'll be pretty well healed. It isn't the first time it's happened." She sighed. "I left if too long once and my nose healed crooked. Youko had to break it and reset it."

"That's frightful, poppet," her father said, sipping his own brandy, slightly light headed after the spectacle.

"Nah, I'm fine," she said cheerfully. "Just a bit bruised. Now, where are those hounds?"

She went to move towards the hounds before a very, very strong hand clamped down on her shoulder.

"Going somewhere, darling?"

Natsuki turned, dread filling her gut, a false smile plastered on her face.

"Shizuru. Heh. Enjoy the ride over?"

* * *

"What the hell was that, Hallard?" Haruka demanded, shoving Chie forward into the rest room of the hotel they'd dashed in to. After leaving the petition come riot come petition in the tender command of Leo and Lenks, she'd hauled Chie into the first building she saw. She locked the door behind her and folded her arms over her chest.

"Well?" she asked, frowning. The Major was still shaking with anger, both hands resting on the sink, back firm as tremors shot up and down her spine. Her head was dipped down, her eyes clenched shut.

"Chie?" she asked again, somewhat brusquely, unnerved to see her so emotional. "Come on, pull yourself together."

Chie took a deep breath and held it in before flinging the air from her lungs, almost with resentment. She shook her head and took another breath, trying to calm herself. Behind her eyes, visions of fresh bruises swam mixing with memories of the worst time of her life.

"I hate her, Haruka," she bit out, "I hate that after she betrayed us all and joined Nagi, she could still walk around like she'd done nothing worse than follow orders. Last time, with the hostages, there was so much more to consider. I had to push it to the back of my mind but seeing her up there today, spouting all that shit... I hate her so much, Haruka."

Haruka frowned, having never seen her student and comrade in such a state of upset. She approached her and laid a firm hand on her back, patting her. She wondered what, exactly, had gone on during the occupation of Windbloom but figured she was probably better off not knowing. She sighed.

"I think she's a pain too, but you can't just go beating up everyone who annoys you. I mean, yeah, it's my first reaction to most things but you have to cool it, Chie. You looked ready to do her some serious damage." She sighed. "I was worried for a moment."

"Yeah," Chie nodded, "I wanted to. I wanted to hurt her."

Haruka slung an arm around her shoulders, nudging her. "Yeah, you did. You've gotta look out for that, kiddo. You're too good to get busted for letting some maggot like her get to you. I mean, you won't be much good to Aoi if you're cleaning toilets in the furthest reaches of Aries with a toothbrush, right?"

Chie finally began to relax, the memory of her gentle lover's face calming her. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"You didn't do anything wrong. Just, whatever hold she has over you, you need to break it."

"I'm still trying," she said, sounding small and defeated, not like her usual self at all. "I'm trying, Haruka."

"That's my girl," Haruka murmured, unusually soft, "do the zest you can do."

* * *

Natsuki and Shizuru sat side by side in the Great Hall in Kruger Manor, watching dozens of people mill around. The Fifth Hunt had been a spectacular success, though how this was judged Shizuru still had no idea. The Count was laughing with a couple of his friends, slapping them on the back and exuding a quite impenetrable aura of joviality. Krugerhunds, happy with large crowds of people, also milled around, their massive grey heads bobbing as they loped through the crowds like clouds, never upsetting a single glass or bumping into a single child.

Earlier, after an embarrassingly long scolding, Natsuki's face had been declared fit for public display and the grumpy woman had been graciously allowed to watch the hound coursing, although her wife hadn't let her out of her sight. Shizuru, not being the experienced rider that many of the Krugers seemed to be, had followed the hunt at a more sedate pace with Hokuto and Philip. Sami had been trotting somewhere in the middle with other children her age, supervised by her granny and several other riding teachers. As such, they'd missed most of the drama.

By the time they'd arrived on the scene, Shizuru had seen her Robed wife striding off towards the hounds and wouldn't let her go about her business without a thorough recount of the events leading up to the accident. Eventually, she'd relented and the group had watched the coursing. Although she'd admit it had been quite a shock to see Natsuki's white blouse dotted with blood when she'd released her robe.

Oh well, once a Kruger... Casting her eyes over the large room, she spotted the Countess pouring mulled wine from a large pot resting on a brazier in the corner of the enormous, smouldering hearth. She was handing the mugs of warm liquor to some of the hunters and stable hands, laughing merrily with them as they all shared the warm drink. Sami Kruger wandered over and was immediately handed two large mugs before being herded over to the pair of Otome. The word indomitable sprang to mind and Shizuru smiled to herself.

"Here, Aunt Natsuki, Shizuru-sama," she chirped, carefully handing the grown-ups their mugs before hopping up on the well loved leather sofa and nestling in between the two Columns.

"You know Sami," Natsuki began, smiling slyly, "you should really call Shizuru 'Aunt Shizuru', you know." She grinned at the shocked look on her lover's face before turning her face to her eldest niece. "It's only right."

"Can I really?" Sami asked, turning to Shizuru with a look of adoration and awe on her face. Shizuru, whose heart held a large enough soft spot for children at the best of times, clucked her tongue and nodded.

"We are all family, after all."

Sami nodded, seemingly satisfied with that. She fiddled with the cuffs of Shizuru's dark blue morning coat, tracing the embroidered rosemary leaves that made up an integral part of Kruger heraldry.

Natsuki proceeded to ask her niece about school and the three engaged in a lively conversation about the merits of the local primary school. Sami, it appeared, was an enthusiastic member of the riding club and hoped to take part in the hunts some day soon.

"But what I'd really love to do is be an Otome," she said shyly. "I mean, I know Auntie Morgan is kinda weird, but you two are so cool. It must be brilliant, flying above all the clouds and everything."

Natsuki smiled indulgently and nodded. "It's pretty amazing. And for what it's worth, I think you'd make a great Otome."

"Oh, is my little Sami already making her application to Garderobe?" a cheerful voice asked from behind them. The trio leaned back to see Sami's father Philip smiling kindly at the three of them. He reached over the back of the sofa and lifted his daughter, smiling again at the sight of her in her little breeches and riding boots. "I'm afraid it's time for bed, my dear."

"But daddy," she whinged, drawing the vowels of the word out to obscene degrees, "it's only early yet."

"It's nine o'clock, young lady," he said, affecting sternness, "it's long past bed time. Now, give your aunties a kiss goodnight and we'll go find your Granny and Grandpa."

Reluctant to leave the most grown-up conversation Sami, to her opinion, had ever been involved in, she pouted while kissing her aunts goodnight. She curled into her father's shoulder as he carried her to wish others goodnight, her lip stuck out as she went.

"Ara, there's someone who doesn't want to go to bed," Shizuru mused. She turned her face towards Natsuki and spied her watching her family with gentle, bemused (albeit swollen) eyes. It was a side that the fussy Gakuenchou often hid under heaps of irritation and annoyance and seeing it warmed Shizuru. She was about to lean in to fill the space Sami had vacated when a body suddenly landed between the pair of them.

"Hello, Aunt Morgan," Natsuki sighed, glaring at the tall woman. "Can we help you?"

"Well," she sniffed, "for one you two can refrain from rutting on the sofa while the guests are still here. I mean, isn't that why you're shacked up down in Chiaki's little cottage?" she asked, her usual incisive malice somewhat mellowed by the several pints of gin she'd consumed so far. Out of all present, apart from Hokuto, hers was the only outfit unstained by mud, horse sweat or dog saliva. Many present would maintain that was due to the fact that most animals were scared of Morgan Stanley Kruger. The reality of the situation was much more mundane, she'd merely skipped the day's outdoor activities entirely and spent the entire time in front of the fire drinking with the butler.

"We just didn't want to be underfoot in the run up to the Hunt," Natsuki said, as levelly as she could. "Chiaki's place was a better option."

"Yeah, right," she muttered, taking a long swallow of her drink. "Any idea if Koda will be around any time soon?" Funnily, Koda was the only other family member that that Morgan could stand. Many speculated that it had something to do with their shared love of restricted pharmaceuticals.

"No, I don't think so, there's still that warrant out for her, after all."

Morgan sniffed expressively, more relaxed that she usually tended to be. She pursed her lips and lifted an eyebrow. "Is Maria Graceburt still hanging around Garderobe, by the way?"

"Ara, you know Miss Maria?"

Morgan's face darkened. "Know her? I used to share a room with that horrible little bitch. They wouldn't let myself and Aggie room together, you know."

"And that," a regal voice stated from behind them, "was probably a good thing."

Morgan scowled and stood, vacating her seat. "Whatever you say, mother," she muttered, stalking off back towards the kitchens.

Freya Kruger lowered herself into the busy gap, patting the women's hands. The elegant woman smiled at the pair of them in turn, clucking her tongue at the sight of Natsuki's face.

"My dear, you do need to be more careful. Really, now."

"It wasn't my fault the dogs startled those pigeons," Natsuki pouted. "I'm just glad Strider was all right."

"From what I heard he crossed the line before Chiaki did."

Natsuki brightened at that bit of news and grinned widely, flinching as she disturbed her flattened face. "Ow. Brilliant, though. I won."

Freya rolled her eyes and gave her grand daughter a smack. "There's nothing worse than an ungracious winner, Natsuki. Especially not one who won by means of a mount unburdened by pigeon!"

* * *

Irina paced up and down the corridor in a quiet corner of Garderobe, hoping she wasn't making enough noise to attract any attention from either students or Miss Maria. In fairness, she wasn't actually doing anything wrong. She was pacing because despite spending the entire day combing the campus, she hadn't been able to find Nao anywhere.

She hadn't been in any of the classes, the libraries, the offices or private quarters. She hadn't been in the small marijuana plantation on the roof of the gymnasium, but Irina was still pretty sure that she was responsible for it.

She threw her hands into the air and fretted. She wondered what would possess someone to do this kind of thing and why on earth they'd think they could get away with it. Surely a smart girl like Nao should have known better.

And with that thought came the creeping doubt that had nearly sent her to seek Youko out. What if Nao _wasn't_ behind this and it was all a huge coincidence? What if her reluctance to bring this to the attention of her superiors meant that by the time they took action, the footage already obtained had been disseminated?

Taking a breath, she realised that there was very little chance of this _not_ being Nao's idea. And she was loath to get Nao into trouble of this magnitude. Perhaps it was because they were so close in age, or because despite all Nao's bluster and her bombast, she wasn't the terrible person she made herself out to be. She livened Garderobe up as surely as Miss Maria dulled it down and she was sure the world wouldn't be as much fun if Nao Zhang wasn't a Column of Garderobe.

Sighing, she decided to check Nao's rooms again, one last time before going to bed.

* * *

Meanwhile, one of the higher powers that Irina had been debating calling was readying herself for bed. Earlier, during a period of lucidity, Midori had made her way up to Youko's rooms and collapsed into bed, snoring loudly. The doctor had cracked a smile at that, the idea of the feared and terrible leader of Aswald snoring like a freight train.

She slipped out of the en suite quietly, turning the light off and moving across the floor, sitting on the side of her bed and checking her patient's pulse. It was strong and sure beneath her fingers and she smiled with relief before climbing into bed. The procedure seemed to have been a complete success. Sighing contentedly, she remembered their youth together, the fact that cold desert winter nights made sleeping alone foolish and sometimes dangerous. Few had batted an eyebrow if people kept sharing beds during the summer, Aswald was not a nation of gossips or prudes.

She'd come to realise that she'd missed having someone sleep beside her in the long years at Garderobe. She'd been far from celibate, she was under no compunction or oath to deny herself that facet of her life, yet the long hours and demanding nature of her job often left her with little free time and she was never really off call. In the end, what relationships she had developed had withered, blooming brightly for a while before dying. Cut flowers, rather than potted plants, she thought to herself. Amused by the analogy, she nestled into the blankets, closing her eyes.

Still, she mused, it was nice to have the solid, vital warmth of another person in her bed. It was nice to feel so comfortable and relaxed around another, to finally allow herself to trust another enough to sleep beside them. Sex was one thing, she'd been there and done that, but the intimacy of spending a quiet night sharing space was something else altogether.

She should, she supposed, have been slightly concerned that she was feeling this intimacy with Midori, of all people.

_Funny, how things work out_, she mused.

* * *

Chie sat against the wall of her hotel room, gazing out over the familiar skyline of Capra city, humming to herself. The rest of the day had progressed without trouble, thankfully, although she suspected they hadn't seen the last of Tomoe. The public had rallied around them and the day had ended with their tally up to almost fifty one thousand signatures. Not bad, for two days work, she mused.

Still, she sighed, watching the lights of passing cars flicker through her window. It was bad enough to have to deal with a bunch of idiotic protesters but knowing that Tomoe was still up to her old tricks was worrying. What discord would she be spreading behind the scenes?

It wouldn't take much to turn mole hills into mountains, to make issues where there had been none before. The masses were, collectively, quite thick. They were just lucky they had Haruka on their side.

Because she knew it didn't matter if you were right or wrong. It all came down to the spin someone could put on a story or an event. Rubbing her face with one hand she pushed those unhappy thoughts away and tried to concentrate on their plan of attack for tomorrow.

She lay back down on the bed and removed her glasses, closing sore eyes. Just as she laid her glasses down, her phone jingled and she lifted it, realising someone had sent her a text message.

_Hey there! Just to let you know, if you have been hanged for sedition then I'm just going to tell everyone I have a well hung fiancee, OK? Sleep well. Love you._

She sniggered to herself and rolled onto her side, wondering with a smile how long Aoi had been sitting on that one.

Well-hung, indeed.

* * *

Shizuru laughed with delight as Natsuki pounced, the pair of women tumbling together into the bed. A curtain of dark hair fell around them as Natsuki leaned in and gently nipped the end of her partner's nose, making a small sound of satisfaction. Her face barely hurt at all anymore and she was quite proud of this fact.

"Ara, you're terrible," Shizuru laughed, stretching her arms over her head and shifting herself into a comfy position on the soft bed. Natsuki shrugged and sat up, letting most of her weight fall onto her knees where they dimpled the mattress around Shizuru's hips. She bounced, earning an undignified snort and she dropped her hands, tracing the rich, deep brown velvet of her wife's waist coat. She followed the embroidered vines and leaves that curled up the soft middle before her, little leaves having been blown from the vine to scatter around her sides. The little false pockets sported the paired rosemary stalks that were repeated so often throughout the Kruger heraldry. The soft white cotton shirt beneath was loose at the throat, her scarf having been removed much earlier.

Her eyes met those of her beloved, gently and patiently watching her and she laughed again.

"You certainly look the part, my darling," she said, popping the little brass buttons open and watching as Shizuru inhaled deeply before breathing out, relaxing into the linens around her, glad to be freed from the tight garment. Hands played absently in her own hair, teasing out tangles and watching her lover watch her. Natsuki loosened her shirt too, unbuttoning the top few buttons on the tan riding breeches as she did. She ran a hand over Shizuru's belly, letting the welcome warmth tingle through her fingers.

"Oh, don't," Shizuru grumbled, "after having been few nothing but fried meat and eggs for a week, I'm a big as a house."

"You're beautiful," Natsuki disagreed, moving her hand to run up Shizuru's side gently. "I like your belly the way it is. Especially with it being so ticklish," she said with a wide smile.

"If you do, you're couched for a week."

"Come on," Natsuki pouted, "you know you love it."

Shizuru raised an eyebrow. Natsuki bounced on her gently. Shizuru, trying to stifle a smile, turned her face away. Natsuki only bounced again and her facade of composure broke. She laughed loudly as her treasured companion tackled her, landing on the bed beside her and tickling her without mercy. They rolled like kittens on the bed, shrieking with laughter as they tickled each other. Eventually, Shizuru found her stomach hurting and grabbed a pillow, batting Natsuki with it.

As she lay panting on her front, curled around her belly protectively, listening to Natsuki alternatively laugh and groan with pain from under the pillow, she plotted revenge. Eventually, before a full plan could be decided upon, Natsuki leaned over her and rolled her onto her back, kissing her forehead. Shizuru opened an eye and chuckled at the sight of several feathers sticking out of her dark hair.

"You're not off the hook," she chided, lifting several of the scraps of down away.

"Of course not," she replied,still unable to contain her mirth. She drew closer, easing herself along Shizuru's side, her eyes dipping to the pale skin exposed by Shizuru's open shirt. "Heh," she chuckled, a smile almost splitting her face (and earning a flinch) as her eyes softened at one of her favourite sights. "Boobs."

That set Shizuru off again and she howled with laughter, the sight certainly showing the aforementioned body parts in new ways. Natsuki just sprawled with a content and lecherous smirk on her face, accompanied by a slight blush. "What's so funny?"

Shizuru just pulled Natsuki to her, kissing her soundly. "You really are a simple creature underneath all your bluster, aren't you Natsuki?


End file.
